In the early evening of Monday, October 21, 2019, a sense of unease settled over a neighborhood in East Patchogue, New York. A 911 call reporting a possible gunshot victim outside a residence on Taylor Avenue shattered the quiet of the autumn day. When Suffolk County Police officers arrived at the scene around 5:10 p.m., they discovered the body of 25-year-old Tyrell D. Smith.
He had been fatally shot and was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Smith, a resident of Shirley, was a male.
The initial hours after the discovery of Smith's body were filled with uncertainty as homicide detectives began their investigation. Friends and acquaintances of Smith were in shock, with one woman recalling a conversation with him just moments before he was killed. Another individual remembered him as a loving father who wanted the best for everyone. The community was left on edge, with the suspect still at large.
Less than ten days later, a breakthrough in the case brought some semblance of resolution. Following an investigation, Suffolk County Police arrested 22-year-old Malik Roberts of Mastic in connection with the fatal shooting. Roberts was apprehended in Brentwood on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 29, 2019. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder for the death of Tyrell D. Smith. After his arrest, Roberts was held overnight at the Third Precinct and was scheduled for arraignment at the First District Court in Central Islip.
