In the spring of 2020, a fatal encounter unfolded within the walls of a Brooklyn apartment building, forever altering the lives of two neighbors. On the afternoon of May 19th, 62-year-old Angel Medina was in his 14th-floor apartment in the Langston Hughes Houses in the Brownsville neighborhood. A knock at his door brought his neighbor, Gregory Spears, who was wearing a Halloween mask.
Medina’s wife, recognizing their neighbor despite the disguise, informed her husband that Spears wished to speak with him.
The visit took a tragic turn when Spears entered Medina’s bedroom, removed the mask, and shot him multiple times in the torso before fleeing the scene. Emergency services were called, but Medina was pronounced dead inside his home. The initial police response led to a massive manhunt for a suspect, with officers swarming the building in search of the gunman. Investigators believed the shooting may have stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the two men.
The day after the shooting, the investigation came to a swift conclusion. As police were securing the crime scene on the 14th floor, Gregory Spears, then 43 years old, exited the elevator and was promptly arrested. Spears was charged in connection with the death of his neighbor. Nearly four years later, in January 2024, he pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree manslaughter. The following month, a judge sentenced him to 17 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision for the violent and senseless act that took the life of Angel Medina.
