In the early hours of March 3, 2020, a night out in Brooklyn turned fatal for Janile Whitted, a 26-year-old man from Queens. The events that led to his death began inside the Kinanm Lounge on Atlantic Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where he was spotted by members of a rival gang. Two men, Dashawn Austin and Jayquan Lane, who were members of the 'Hoolies' street gang, began to follow Whitted after he left the lounge.
Their pursuit continued for a few blocks to the Amour Cabaret on Nostrand
Avenue between Herkimer Place and Herkimer Street. At approximately 3:11 a.m., as Whitted socialized outside the club, Austin approached him through the crowd. At close range, Austin fired several shots, striking Whitted in the chest. Emergency services rushed Whitted to NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting identified Dashawn Austin as the gunman and Jayquan Lane as his accomplice. Their actions were part of a wider string of violence carried out by the 'Hoolies' gang that terrorized parts of Brooklyn. Several months after killing Whitted, Austin was involved in another tragic shooting that resulted in the death of a one-year-old boy, Davell Gardner Jr., at a family barbecue.
Following a comprehensive investigation by law enforcement, which was part of a larger takedown of the 'Hoolies' gang, both Dashawn Austin and Jayquan Lane were arrested and charged with the murder of Janile Whitted. After a six-month jury trial, both men were convicted of second-degree murder. Dashawn Austin was subsequently sentenced to a term of 50 years to life in prison for his role in Whitted's death and other violent crimes. Jayquan Lane was also convicted, with his sentencing scheduled for a later date.
