On the evening of May 6, 2021, a heated argument shattered the relative calm of a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, tragically ending the life of 40-year-old Kamaal King. A male resident of the area, King was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso just steps from his home on Lewis Avenue. The dispute, which reportedly began inside a nearby store, spilled out onto the street and quickly escalated.
Witnesses later recounted hearing the escalating argument,
followed by the sound of gunfire at approximately 9:30 p.m. Emergency responders rushed King to Woodhull Hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. He lived less than a block away from where the fatal shooting occurred, in the Roosevelt Houses.
The investigation into King's death swiftly led to an arrest. Quintin Harris, a 46-year-old ex-convict who lived only six blocks from King, was identified as the shooter by witnesses. The Brooklyn North Violent Felony Apprehension Squad apprehended Harris without incident. He was subsequently charged with murder and weapons possession.
Further investigation revealed that the motive for the shooting appeared to be a personal dispute between King and Harris. Harris had a significant criminal history, having previously served 18 years in prison for attempted murder and also had convictions for weapons possession and assault. He had been paroled in 2011. While the timing of the incident coincided with a major gang indictment in the same housing complex where King lived, police did not immediately indicate that his death was related to broader gang activities.
