On the night of February 25, 2022, a tragic event unfolded in East Harlem that cut short the life of 25-year-old Shaquell Gainey. Gainey, a male resident of the neighborhood, was outside a liquor store on First Avenue near East 115th Street shortly before 11 p.m. when he was fatally shot. Surveillance video from the scene captured the moments leading up to the shooting, showing a man approaching Gainey as he stepped out of the store and opening fire.
Wounded, Gainey sought refuge back
inside the liquor store before stumbling into a nearby deli, where he collapsed. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency services were called, and medics transported him to Harlem Hospital. Despite their efforts, Gainey was pronounced dead at the hospital. The New York Police Department quickly launched an investigation into the homicide.
For over a year, the case remained without an arrest. The NYPD had released a description of the suspect, described as a male with a slim build and dark complexion, approximately 6 feet tall, and seen wearing a black face mask, a black hooded jacket over an orange hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and orange sneakers. A significant breakthrough came in October 2023 when authorities identified a suspect. Camby Wilson, 24, of the Bronx, was extradited from a federal prison in Maine where he was serving time on a gun-related offense. Wilson was subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Shaquell Gainey's death. The investigation and legal proceedings are ongoing.
