In the Claremont section of the Bronx on the afternoon of October 23, 2018, a day that began with the simple routine of a father picking up his child from school ended in tragedy. Jaquan Millien, a 29-year-old male, had just collected his five-year-old son when they entered an apartment building on Webster Avenue. Inside the sixth-floor stairwell, their path was blocked by a gunman who opened fire. Millien was struck in the torso, and his young son was shot in the arm.
When police arrived around 4:30 p.m., they found the gravely wounded father and his bleeding child. Officers immediately rendered aid to the boy, with one lieutenant using his belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, an action credited with saving the child's life. Jaquan Millien was rushed to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, but he did not survive his injuries. His son was hospitalized in stable condition and ultimately recovered from his physical wound.
For years, the investigation into the shocking murder stalled, leaving a community shaken and a family grieving without answers. Investigators learned that the shooting was not a random act of violence but was connected to a marijuana trafficking rivalry. The case was considered cold for nearly three years, as potential witnesses were initially reluctant to come forward. A breakthrough finally occurred after some individuals moved away from the neighborhood and felt safer speaking to law enforcement about what they knew.
This new information pointed to a suspect named Joshua Rodriguez, also known as 'Suave.' The investigation revealed that Rodriguez had been involved in a drug dispute with Millien. On the day of the murder, Rodriguez allegedly followed Millien and his son into the apartment building, cornered them in the stairwell, and fired multiple shots. Based on the renewed investigation, Joshua Rodriguez was arrested in June 2022 and charged with the murder of Jaquan Millien.
The case against Joshua Rodriguez proceeded to a federal trial in May and June of 2023. During the five-day trial, the jury heard testimony from multiple witnesses, including Millien's girlfriend at the time, who spoke of a prior conflict between the two men. Prosecutors presented evidence that established the motive as a drug rivalry. On June 6, 2023, the jury found Joshua Rodriguez guilty of murdering Jaquan Millien. Several months later, on September 19, 2023, a judge sentenced the 31-year-old Rodriguez to 38 years in prison for the murder. The sentencing brought a measure of justice to a case that had once seemed unsolvable, closing a painful chapter for a family and a community that had been shattered by a father's murder in front of his young son.
