In the early hours of a Saturday morning in Wyandanch, New York, a routine trip to a convenience store turned fatal for 38-year-old Darnell Snell. On April 10, 2021, at approximately 12:45 a.m., Snell was inside the Wyandanch Convenience Store on Merritt Avenue, simply buying orange juice. Suddenly, another man inside the store opened fire, striking Snell in what authorities would later describe as a targeted attack.
The shooter then fled the scene on foot, leaving chaos and tragedy in his wake.
Emergency services were called to the scene, and Snell, a resident of Brentwood, was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead. The Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad immediately began an investigation into the senseless act of violence that had claimed the life of a man who was reportedly a family friend of his assailant. The entire tragic event was captured by the store's video surveillance system.
The investigation led to the arrest of a 24-year-old Brentwood man, Atiba Ward. At the time of the shooting, Ward was already out on bail for a prior felony narcotics and weapons possession charge from October 2020. Ward stood trial for the murder of Darnell Snell, with proceedings commencing on March 1, 2022. On March 15, 2022, a jury found Atiba Ward guilty of the murder. He was subsequently sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the shooting death of Darnell Snell.
