On a summer evening that should have been filled with the sounds of a vibrant Brooklyn neighborhood, 21-year-old Jahrell Gause’s life was tragically cut short. On July 5, 2020, in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, Gause found himself in the midst of a violent outburst that had nothing to do with him. He was at a playground near the Glenmore public housing complex around 5:30 PM when gunfire erupted.
A stray bullet struck the young man in the chest, an unintended target in a conflict that was not his own. Despite being rushed to Brookdale Hospital, his injuries proved fatal.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a backdrop of escalating gang-related violence that was plaguing the city. Law enforcement sources indicated that the shooting was connected to an ongoing feud, but that Jahrell Gause was an innocent bystander caught in the deadly crossfire. His death left his family, including his stepmother Nicole Cusack and his biological mother Leslie Edwards, utterly devastated. He was remembered as a loving father to his two-year-old daughter, Harmony. In the wake of their profound loss, and as a testament to his memory, Gause's family founded an anti-violence group called 'Blood on the Bricks' to combat the gun violence that had stolen their loved one.
For months, the case remained without a resolution, adding to the family's grief. However, a significant development came in January 2021 when the New York Police Department arrested 18-year-old Henry Corey in connection with the fatal shooting. Corey was subsequently charged with murder and weapons possession, bringing a measure of hope for justice to Gause’s grieving family. His arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court marked the beginning of the legal proceedings against him. Further investigation by the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office revealed that Corey was allegedly a member of the 'CHOO' street gang, and that on the day of the shooting, he had entered the territory of the rival 'WOOO' gang, of which Gause was a member, and opened fire.
