On an evening in late August 2021, a burst of gunfire in the Soundview section of the Bronx shattered the neighborhood's calm and left two brothers with fatal injuries. Responding to a 911 call at approximately 7:20 p.m. on August 31st, police discovered Malik Tunstall, a 22-year-old male, and his 24-year-old brother, Price Tunstall, both shot in the head in front of the Monroe Houses on Taylor Avenue. Paramedics arrived on the scene and quickly transported both men to Jacobi Hospital.
Price was pronounced dead upon arrival. Malik succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
The investigation into the double homicide swiftly led to a suspect. Early on September 1st, the New York Police Department arrested 26-year-old Kai Johnson in connection with the shooting. Johnson, a resident of Lafayette Avenue, was identified as a member of a racketeering enterprise known as the 'Stevenson Commons Crew.' Authorities stated that the violence was part of ongoing conflicts between rival gangs. The indictment against Johnson alleged that he murdered the Tunstall brothers in aid of this racketeering enterprise.
Kai Johnson faced a litany of charges for his role in the violent encounter. Initially charged by the NYPD with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a firearm, federal charges were later unsealed. These included racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and firearms offenses. The federal indictment also connected Johnson to a non-fatal shooting of a 16-year-old in the same vicinity several months prior, on April 4, 2021.
In January 2023, Johnson pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering. By September of that year, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murders of Malik and Price Tunstall. During the sentencing, the court heard from the victims' mother and aunt, who spoke of their profound loss. In addition to his prison term, Johnson was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
