On a late Friday night in September of 2021, a 31-year-old man, Anthony Edwards, was standing with a friend near his home at the Astoria Houses in Queens, New York. The evening took a tragic turn when a gunman opened fire, striking both men. Edwards was shot multiple times in the face and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
His 30-year-old friend was shot in the groin as he tried to flee and was hospitalized in stable condition.
In the wake of the shooting, the community mourned the loss of Edwards, a father of six children, five sons and a daughter. His family, devastated by the sudden violence, remembered him as a loving and caring man who was cherished by everyone who knew him. They expressed a deep hope that justice would be served for his death. In the days following the incident, the New York Police Department continued their investigation, but the gunman, who had fled the scene, remained at large and no immediate arrests were made.
A different man from Queens, also named Anthony Edwards, fell victim to gun violence the following year. This Anthony Edwards, a 36-year-old father of four, was in his car on the morning of July 31, 2022, at the intersection of Beach 38th Street and Norton Avenue in the Edgemere neighborhood. It was there that a man allegedly approached the vehicle and fired multiple shots, striking Edwards in the head. First responders arrived to find him deceased in his car. The assailant fled the scene in a white Jeep.
Following a thorough investigation by the 101st Precinct Detective Squad and the Queens South Homicide Squad, a suspect was identified and apprehended in Harlem. In October 2022, a 27-year-old man named Jamal Brown was indicted by a Queens County grand jury. He was arraigned on charges of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. If convicted of these charges, he faces the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence, up to 25 years to life. The case is being prosecuted by the District Attorney's Homicide Bureau.
