In the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, a burst of violence on a Monday afternoon claimed the life of Rasheed Bennett. The 31-year-old Black man was inside the Eleanor Roosevelt Houses on Lewis Avenue, the public housing development where he lived, when the fatal encounter occurred on June 17, 2019. Bennett was stepping out of an elevator into the lobby of the building at approximately 2:47 p.m.
when he was shot once in the chest.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene to find Bennett critically wounded. He was rushed to Woodhull Hospital for medical attention, but his injury proved too severe, and he was pronounced dead. Investigators at the scene recovered a single 9-mm shell casing and a bullet fragment, evidence of the deadly confrontation that had taken place.
In the wake of the shooting, the New York Police Department launched an investigation into the homicide. However, the person responsible for Bennett's death remained at large, and no immediate arrests were made. The case has remained unsolved, leaving a void for a family still seeking justice. Remembered as a devoted father of four, Bennett had worked various jobs to provide for his children. His sudden and violent death sent shockwaves of grief and frustration through his family and the community. Vigils and memorials have been held in his honor, a testament to a life cut short and a community's hope that those with information will come forward to help close a painful chapter.
