In the early morning hours of August 9, 2020, a crowded house party in Springfield Gardens, Queens, turned deadly for 25-year-old Jonathan Distant. The Bronx man was fatally shot in the torso following a minor altercation. The party, held in the front yard of a residence on 183rd Street, had over 100 guests, with more waiting to get in.
The tragic chain of events began around 4:30 a.m. as Distant was preparing to leave the gathering.
A friend of another partygoer, Devante Richards, bumped into Distant, leading to a staredown between the two. Distant's girlfriend attempted to de-escalate the situation and encourage them to walk away from each other. However, her efforts were in vain as Richards approached Distant and fired a single shot, striking him in the left side of the abdomen. The sound of the gunshot sent the crowd of approximately 150 people into a panic, with guests scrambling for the exit and climbing over fences to escape. In the ensuing chaos, at least two other firearms were discharged, though no other injuries were reported.
Following the shooting, Distant was privately transported to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. An investigation by the New York Police Department led to the arrest of 27-year-old Devante Richards of Brooklyn on October 28, 2020. Richards was subsequently charged with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
In February 2024, a jury found Devante Richards guilty on all counts. The following month, he was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison for the murder of Jonathan Distant. He also received a concurrent sentence of 15 years for each of the weapons possession charges. The Queens District Attorney described the killing as an 'absolutely senseless loss of a young life.'
