Mye Johnson, a 27-year-old Black female, was celebrating her birthday with friends in the early morning hours of December 23, 2021, in Astoria, Queens, when her life was tragically cut short. An NYPD school safety agent since 2017 and a mother to a 7-year-old son, Johnson was with a group of friends, including her twin sister, at the Solletto Lounge on Steinway Street.
The festive occasion turned violent when a dispute erupted outside the club.
Johnson’s ex-boyfriend, 29-year-old Quasawn Williams, had reportedly been denied entry to the club earlier because he was armed. He waited outside for Johnson and her friends to leave. When they exited the lounge at approximately 4 a.m., an argument broke out between Williams and Johnson's then-boyfriend, DeShawn Parker.
The verbal altercation quickly escalated into a shootout between Williams and Parker. In the exchange of gunfire, Mye Johnson was struck in the torso and leg. She was rushed to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Two other people were also injured in the shooting: Johnson's friend, a 27-year-old woman, was shot in the knee, and Parker was wounded in the buttocks and shoulder. Both survived their injuries.
Following the shooting, Quasawn Williams fled the scene in a white BMW. He was later apprehended in New Jersey. In March 2022, Williams was extradited to Queens and arraigned on charges of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. DaShawn Parker was also arrested in the wake of the incident and faced weapons charges after surveillance footage showed him exchanging gunfire with Williams.
