On a summer evening in Queens, New York, the life of an 18-year-old Black male, Tysheem McDonald, was cut short by gunfire. The aspiring drill rapper, known as Ty Savv, was shot in the chest on August 7, 2022, near the intersection of 148th Avenue and 231st Street in the Brookville neighborhood. He had told his family he was heading to a music studio to record. Shortly after, he was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Another man, who was 24 years old, was also shot in the leg during the incident but was expected to recover.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrests of two men. Dariel Herrera, a 30-year-old from Brooklyn, was arrested in November 2022 and charged with murder, attempted murder, and assault. Prosecutors alleged that Herrera was driving a rented BMW when he encountered McDonald and three other individuals and fired multiple shots at the group. Following the initial volley of gunfire, a second man, 22-year-old Zandrae Ennis of Queens, allegedly fired back at Herrera from a Honda he was in with others from the initial group.
In December 2022, both Herrera and Ennis were indicted by a grand jury. Herrera faced charges of second-degree murder, attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted of the top charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison. Ennis was indicted on charges of attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment, facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted. The case highlighted the persistent issue of gun violence and its devastating impact on the community, leaving a family to mourn the loss of a young man with a passion for music.
