Jabeon Bivins, a 24-year-old Black male, was fatally shot on the evening of Monday, August 15, 2022, in the courtyard of the Redfern Houses in Far Rockaway, Queens. A former standout basketball player at Baldwin High School, Bivins was remembered as a talented point guard. On the evening of the incident, two men entered the courtyard and opened fire on a group of people.
Bivins was struck in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical services.
Surveillance footage released by the New York Police Department showed two gunmen, one in a gray-hooded sweatshirt and the other in a red hoodie, firing multiple shots from pistols before fleeing the scene. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, and it is unknown if Bivins was the intended target. The violent act sent bystanders scrambling for safety.
In the months that followed, an investigation by homicide detectives from the 101st Precinct led to the arrests of three individuals. On March 15, 2023, police arrested 26-year-old Michael Williams of the Redfern Houses and 26-year-old Kevon Johnson of South Jamaica. Both men were charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in what was described as an execution-style shooting. A third suspect, 22-year-old Amhad Peavy of Hempstead, was also taken into custody and charged with criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the homicide investigation. Authorities indicated that surveillance video played a crucial role in identifying and apprehending the suspects, as it captured the shooting and showed the alleged gunmen seeking refuge in one of the suspect's buildings.
