In the late hours of a Wednesday evening in the Bronx, the life of 24-year-old Dandre Johnson, a male resident of Beekman Avenue, was tragically cut short. On August 18, 2021, at approximately 10:55 p.m., Johnson was at the corner of East 149th Street and Concord Avenue when an argument broke out. He was reportedly with a group of people when a dispute with another individual began, though the nature of the disagreement remains unclear.
The verbal confrontation quickly and violently escalated.
The assailant produced a firearm and shot Dandre Johnson, striking him in the back and arm before fleeing the scene. Officers from the 40th Precinct arrived to find Johnson wounded. Emergency medical services rushed him to Lincoln Hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced deceased. The initial investigation began with no immediate arrests, leaving a sense of uncertainty in the South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven where the shooting occurred.
The New York Police Department's investigation did not remain stagnant for long. Just over a week later, on August 29, authorities made their first arrest in connection with the homicide. Tyrek Williams, a 20-year-old from Brooklyn, was taken into custody and faced serious charges, including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, and criminal use of a firearm. The investigation continued, leading to a second arrest on September 23, 2021. A 17-year-old, whose name was not publicly released, was also charged with murder, manslaughter, and two counts of criminal possession of a loaded firearm, bringing a measure of progress to the case.
