In the pre-dawn hours of September 1, 2022, 25-year-old Imani Armstrong was walking home after her shift at an IHOP in the Union Square area of Manhattan. Her life was cut tragically short when she was fatally shot in the head at the corner of East 14th Street and Irving Place. The gunman, who had reportedly been waiting for hours outside her workplace, approached her from behind and fired a single shot before fleeing the scene. Emergency services responded to a 911 call around 5 a.m.
and pronounced Armstrong dead at the scene.
The investigation into the murder of the young mother of three quickly focused on her ex-boyfriend, 44-year-old Clarkson Wilson. Police arrested Wilson on September 3, 2022, and he was subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Investigators believe the motive for the killing was an act of revenge stemming from a domestic dispute. It was reported that Wilson is the father of one of Armstrong's children.
Clarkson Wilson had an extensive criminal history, including approximately 20 prior arrests. There were previous domestic violence complaints against him, including an accusation of strangulation by another woman in April 2021 and an incident in 2014 where his then-wife reported he strangled her and stole her phone. Following his arrest for Armstrong's murder, a Manhattan grand jury indicted him on charges of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
Imani Armstrong's life was described as troubled in the time leading up to her death. Originally from Virginia, she had relocated to New York and was working as an exotic dancer in addition to her job at IHOP to support her children, who were in the foster care system. She had reportedly been living in a shelter for domestic abuse victims for a time and was actively trying to regain custody of her children. Her family, who were largely unaware of the extent of her difficulties, were left to mourn her sudden and violent death.
