On a summer day in Albany, New York, the life of 21-year-old NyJawaun Thomas was cut short in a violent encounter. On June 24, 2020, following a brief car chase, Thomas emerged from the wreckage of a rented U-Haul truck near the intersection of South Pearl Street and Morton Avenue. It was there, just steps from a police station, that he was gunned down.
The shooter, Jarrell Howard, then a teenager, reportedly circled back and fired again, though authorities believe Thomas was already deceased.
The investigation into Thomas's death led to the arrest of Jarrell Howard, who was no stranger to law enforcement. At the time of the shooting, Howard, then 17, was on probation for his role in a 2019 gunfight where a 3-year-old boy was wounded by a stray bullet. His violent actions in June 2020 were part of what prosecutors described as a 'reign of terror' stemming from a long-standing feud between 'uptown' and 'downtown' street gangs in Albany. Howard was identified as being associated with an uptown faction.
In December 2022, Jarrell Howard, then 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the killing of NyJawaun Thomas. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree attempted murder for other shootings that occurred in the same month. In May 2023, Howard was sentenced for his crimes. He received a sentence of 37 years to life in prison for the murder of Thomas and the other shootings. This sentence will run consecutively to the 15-year sentence he was already serving for the 2019 shooting that injured the toddler, resulting in a total sentence of 52 years to life.
During the sentencing, the court heard emotional testimony from NyJawaun Thomas's family. His mother, Shinequa Thomas, expressed her profound grief and anger in a letter read to the court, stating, 'You broke me to the core … I'll never know why you did it.' The victim's aunt, however, offered a different sentiment, telling Howard she did not hate him and urged him to make something of his life in prison. The prosecutor castigated Howard as a vicious 'monster' for his violent spree.
