In the early afternoon of February 8, 2020, Dontae Hambrick, a 34-year-old man from Queens, NY, was fatally shot in the North Corona neighborhood. The incident unfolded around 12:15 p.m. near the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 101st Street. Hambrick was standing with an electric scooter, engaged in conversation with three other men.
A man, later identified as Kevin 'Cuzzo' Edwards, an ex-convict, arrived at the scene in a Volkswagen SUV.
Dressed entirely in black, Edwards double-parked his vehicle and approached the group. He exchanged handshakes with the three men standing with Hambrick. In a sudden turn of events, Edwards then drew a pistol and opened fire on Hambrick, striking him multiple times in the torso and legs. As Hambrick collapsed, Edwards calmly walked back to his SUV and fled the scene. Emergency services were called, and Hambrick was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital Center, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the murder of Dontae Hambrick, a father of three, led authorities to Kevin Edwards. Surveillance footage from a nearby camera captured the entire incident, providing crucial evidence for investigators. In January 2021, nearly a year after the shooting, Edwards was pulled over by police for having excessively tinted windows. During the traffic stop, officers detected the smell of marijuana and discovered a firearm in the front seat of his car. While this weapon was not the one used in Hambrick's murder, the traffic stop led to his arrest.
Edwards, who had three prior felony drug convictions, was initially charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon. Subsequently, he was charged with the murder of Dontae Hambrick. In April 2023, following a five-day trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Edwards of being a felon in possession of the ammunition used in the fatal shooting. The trial brought to light the cold-blooded nature of the crime, with prosecutors highlighting how Edwards shot Hambrick without any verbal exchange. For his conviction, Edwards faced a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
