On a Friday evening in Hempstead, New York, the life of 25-year-old Trendabi Reid was cut short. On May 7, 2021, Reid, a male resident of Uniondale, was found with a fatal gunshot wound on James L. Burrell Avenue around 5:40 p.m. The incident that led to his death unfolded in the backyard of a residence where a small group of people had gathered.
An argument erupted between Reid and another individual at the gathering, reportedly over a debt.
The dispute quickly escalated from words to a physical altercation involving pushing and shoving. Another man present at the scene, who had been cleaning a firearm and was not initially involved in the argument, intervened in a deadly manner. This man, identified as Ryan Hamilton, approached Trendabi Reid and fired a single shot from a. 9mm handgun, striking him in the face.
Following the shooting, Hamilton fled the scene. Law enforcement officials later recovered the firearm in a vacant lot approximately two blocks away from the location of the shooting. The investigation into Reid's murder led detectives to Waterbury, Connecticut, where they arrested the then 21-year-old Ryan Hamilton on June 23, 2021. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder.
In February 2024, Ryan Hamilton, then 24, pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. Following his guilty plea, he was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of Trendabi Reid. The Nassau County District Attorney's office had recommended a sentence of 22 years to life. The senseless act of violence brought an end to a backyard dispute and a young man's life, leaving a family to mourn their loss.
