On a cold December evening in East Harlem, a dispute inside a liquor store turned fatal for a young man. Darell McAllister, a 24-year-old male, was shot and killed on December 22, 2020. The incident occurred at approximately 9:37 p.m. inside the R&C Wine & Liquor store located at 60 East 111th Street near Madison Avenue.
McAllister, a resident of the Bronx, was inside the liquor store when an argument broke out between his group and another group of men.
The verbal dispute quickly escalated into violence. At some point during the altercation, a man from the opposing group drew a firearm and opened fire. McAllister was struck by the gunfire, suffering a gunshot wound to the head.
Despite his severe injury, McAllister managed to run out of the store before collapsing on the sidewalk. Emergency services were called to the scene, and police officers from the 23rd Precinct responded. Paramedics rushed McAllister to Harlem Hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting led police to identify Isaiah Smith, a 35-year-old resident of East Harlem, as the suspected gunman. Smith was taken into custody by the NYPD Warrant Squad at his home in the Johnson Houses public housing complex on East 112th Street on February 23, 2021. Video footage from the liquor store and the surrounding area reportedly played a key role in identifying him as the perpetrator. Smith was subsequently arrested and charged with murder and two counts of criminal possession of a loaded firearm.
