In the spring of 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the afternoon calm outside a Brooklyn charter school, tragically ending the life of 17-year-old Devonte Lewis. On April 29th, as dismissal was underway at the Urban Dove Charter School in Midwood, Lewis was ambushed and fatally shot. The young man, who had recently embarked on a new chapter, having started as a first-year student at Urban Dove and secured a maintenance job with the New York City Housing Authority, was struck in the stomach by
the gunfire. He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, but his wounds proved to be fatal.
The investigation into the brazen daylight shooting revealed a calculated and violent plot rooted in gang rivalry. Surveillance footage from outside the school captured the moments leading up to the shooting, showing three individuals lying in wait for Lewis. The suspects, identified as Malachi Simms, then 15, Quran Smith, 16, and Frantzy Alexandre, 20, were alleged members of the Folk No Love City gang. Authorities stated that Lewis was an alleged member of a rival gang, the Bloodhound Brims. The video evidence reportedly showed Alexandre passing a firearm to Simms just before Simms and Smith opened fire on Lewis as he approached his car. After Lewis fell to the ground, the assailants continued to shoot before attempting to flee in the victim's car and then ultimately escaping on foot.
The subsequent police investigation led to the arrests of the three suspects. During Quran Smith's arrest on May 19, 2021, a loaded. 380 Taurus Spectrum pistol fell from his pants, which forensic analysis later matched to shell casings found at the scene of the crime. The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office announced charges against Simms and Smith for second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Frantzy Alexandre was also charged in connection with the murder. The murder of Devonte Lewis was said to have intensified the ongoing conflict between the two gangs.
In the years that followed, the case moved through the legal system, culminating in the sentencing of all three individuals involved. In March 2025, all three defendants pleaded guilty. Simms and Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, while Alexandre pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. In April 2025, they received their sentences. Quran Smith was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, Malachi Simms received a sentence of 14 years to life, and Frantzy Alexandre was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
