In the early hours of July 28, 2019, a tragic and senseless act of violence cut short the life of 36-year-old Paul Larue in Hempstead, New York. Larue was innocently sitting in his Mercedes Benz at a red light at the intersection of Clinton Street and Fulton Avenue when another vehicle pulled alongside him. Multiple shots were fired into his car, leading to his untimely death.
Larue was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The investigation into Larue's murder revealed a devastating story of mistaken identity and retaliatory violence. Earlier that same morning, a man named Taiquan 'Tay Tay' Cullum was the target of a shooting at a bar in Baldwin. The man who allegedly shot at him was Jermaine Grant. Seeking revenge, Cullum and an associate, Deion 'D' Barros, are said to have armed themselves and gone searching for Grant. It was during this hunt that they tragically misidentified Paul Larue, who was a friend of Grant's and had been at the same bar earlier but was not involved in the initial altercation.
The wheels of justice began to turn, leading to the arrests of those allegedly responsible for Paul Larue's death. In August 2023, both Taiquan Cullum and Deion Barros were indicted on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Cullum, an alleged member of the Bloods gang, was later convicted of these charges in June 2025, following a jury deliberation that lasted less than five hours. He faces a potential sentence of 40 years to life in prison. The case against Deion Barros is still pending. In a separate but related case, Jermaine Grant was found guilty of the attempted murder of Taiquan Cullum and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2022.
