In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 9, 2020, a report of a suspicious vehicle led Peekskill Police to a grim discovery on the 900 block of Paulding Street. Inside a running car, officers found 27-year-old Emmanuel Jordan, a Black / African American male, unresponsive. Initially thought to be sleeping, paramedics were called to the scene and pronounced him dead. A subsequent investigation revealed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
Jordan, a former Peekskill resident who was living in Mohegan Lake at the time, was a father of four.
The investigation into the death of Emmanuel Jordan moved swiftly. Within 24 hours of the discovery of his body, Peekskill Police had a suspect in custody. Michael Jenkins, 21 years old at the time and a resident of Peekskill, was arrested in connection with the homicide. The investigation, aided by the District Attorney's Office High Technology Unit, determined that Jenkins had met with Jordan on the evening of May 8, 2020, to purchase narcotics. During this encounter, Jenkins shot Jordan multiple times in the legs and chest before robbing him and fleeing the scene.
Michael Jenkins was charged with second-degree murder. His arraignment took place via video conference due to COVID-19 restrictions. Following a three-week trial in September 2021, a jury found Jenkins guilty of Murder in the Second Degree, Manslaughter in the First Degree, two counts of Robbery in the First Degree, and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. In November 2021, Jenkins, then 22, was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for the murder and robbery of Emmanuel Jordan. During the sentencing, Jordan's mother delivered a powerful impact statement, expressing her profound grief and anger at the senseless act of violence that took her son's life.
