Uriah Richardson, a 29-year-old male, was fatally shot in a brazen daylight attack on Monday, October 4, 2021, in the Far Rockaway section of Queens. A devoted father of three, he was on his way home from his job as a home health aide when the incident occurred. Shortly after 1 p.m., Richardson made a stop at the A Line Deli on Mott Avenue, near Beach 22nd Street, to get something to eat.
Moments later, he was shot multiple times just outside the deli.
Emergency services rushed Richardson, who had been shot in the chest, to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries a short time later. His family was left devastated, describing him as a dedicated family man who was not involved in any activities that would make him a target. His wife emphasized that he was a church-goer who was focused on his family. At the time of his death, Richardson was scheduled to be sentenced the following day on a gun possession charge from 2018, which his wife stated was for protection due to working in dangerous neighborhoods. In the immediate aftermath, the police had no motive and had made no arrests in the shooting.
A month after the tragic event, a suspect, Waturi Johnson, then 54, was apprehended in Pennsylvania and extradited to Queens to face charges. Johnson was a resident of Far Rockaway. The investigation revealed that the two men did not know each other, pointing to a senseless act of violence. Surveillance footage showed Johnson approaching Richardson at a taxi stand near the Mott Avenue A train station. As they got closer, Johnson displayed a gun. Richardson, who had his hand in his pocket, pulled it out with his fist clenched around an object, which was later found to be a folded box cutter. Johnson then fired two shots, hitting Richardson in the leg and chest.
Waturi Johnson was convicted by a jury of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree in June 2024, following a two-week trial. In November 2024, he was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison for the murder of Uriah Richardson. The conviction and sentence brought a measure of justice to Richardson's grieving family, though the motive for the fatal encounter remains unclear.
