In a burst of violence on a Tuesday afternoon in Queens, 20-year-old Christopher Campbell lost his life. On September 8, 2020, at approximately 2 p.m., a verbal dispute on Rockaway Beach Boulevard near Shore Front Parkway escalated with tragic consequences. An individual opened fire into a crowd of people in the courtyard of a building, striking three individuals.
Campbell was shot in the chest and later died at the hospital.
Two other people were also wounded in the shooting but survived their injuries. A 19-year-old man, Jorge Calderon, was shot in the left flank and thigh, while a 20-year-old woman, Dejah Johnson, was shot in the leg and calf. Both were taken to Jamaica Hospital and were in stable condition.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly. Aided by video of the incident, detectives from the 101st Precinct, Queens Homicide, and the NYPD Regional Fugitive Task Force identified a suspect. Lawayne Smalls, 17 at the time, was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting.
Smalls, of Beach 26th Street in Far Rockaway, was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, two counts of criminal possession of a loaded firearm, and two counts of tampering with evidence. In November 2021, Smalls pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in the first degree. He was subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison, to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
