In the fall of 2020, a promising life was tragically cut short on a Brooklyn street. Seventeen-year-old Derek Tiucios, a male of Hispanic descent born in the United States to a family from Mexico, was shot and killed on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 28, 2020. A junior at Sunset Park High School, he had dreams of becoming a doctor. Just six days prior to his death, his family had celebrated his seventeenth birthday with a party in front of their Sunset Park home.
On that fateful
Wednesday, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Tiucios and a 16-year-old friend were in the Flatbush neighborhood, in front of 436 East 26th Street near Foster Avenue. They were confronted by an individual who attempted to rob them. A struggle ensued, and the suspect opened fire. Tiucios was struck in the chest and stomach, while his friend was shot in the hand. Both teenagers were rushed to Kings County Hospital, where Derek Tiucios succumbed to his injuries. His friend was treated for his wound and was listed in stable condition.
The aftermath of the shooting left a quiet, residential neighborhood in shock. A handgun was recovered at the scene of the crime. For nearly four months, the family and community awaited answers as the New York Police Department investigated the homicide.
In February 2021, the NYPD announced an arrest in connection with the murder of Derek Tiucios. Nasir Perez, an 18-year-old from Brooklyn, was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, and assault for his alleged role in the fatal shooting. The arrest brought a measure of hope for closure to a family mourning the loss of a son and a community shaken by a senseless act of violence.
