In the early hours of a May morning in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, a gathering of friends at a cookout turned into a scene of violence that claimed the life of 29-year-old Johnny Mathis. On May 4, 2018, Mathis was at the Eleanor Roosevelt Playground when an argument broke out. The dispute escalated, and Mathis was fatally shot in the head. First responders found him unconscious and unresponsive at the scene near Lewis and DeKalb avenues around 1:40 a.m.
He was rushed to Woodhull Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Mathis was a father, leaving behind a young son.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a suspect. Police identified 43-year-old Herman Dunston as the man who allegedly shot Mathis. Reports suggested that Dunston may have been an unwelcome guest at the party and had a confrontation with Mathis before the fatal shot was fired. Dunston lived just across the street from the playground where the deadly encounter took place. Mathis himself lived nearby, in the Roosevelt Houses, just a short distance from the park.
Later that month, police arrested Herman Dunston in connection with the killing. He was subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Following the identification of a suspect, Mathis's mother expressed her relief and her hope for a swift arrest. The community also voiced its relief that the suspected killer was no longer on the streets. Dunston was scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on charges of murder and criminal possession of a loaded weapon.
