On a cold December afternoon in 2017, a burst of violence shattered the "Saturday" peace outside the Ravenswood Houses in Astoria, Queens, claiming the life of a young man. Jerrel Lewis, a 20-year-old Black male from the nearby Queensbridge Houses, was standing on the street at approximately 4:00 p.m. on December 2nd when he was targeted in a brazen and brutal attack.
The sudden eruption of gunfire sent people scrambling for cover as Lewis was chased into the street and shot multiple times.
Police from the 114th Precinct and NYPD Housing Bureau officers swiftly responded to 911 calls of gunfire and discovered Jerrel Lewis lying unconscious in the street with a gunshot wound to his torso. Paramedics rushed him to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. An investigation revealed that one of the bullets had struck his spinal cord, paralyzing him instantly.
The investigation into the murder of Jerrel Lewis quickly focused on a suspect, Javyn McNish, who was 19 at the time. The motive for the shooting appeared to be an act of revenge, as it was reported that Lewis had been in a fight with a friend of McNish's earlier. Surveillance video captured McNish chasing Lewis and firing a. 9mm semi-automatic pistol. After Lewis fell to the ground, McNish stood over him and brutally pistol-whipped him in the face with such force that he broke one of his teeth.
Following the shooting, McNish was seen fleeing the scene and was later found hiding in a nearby apartment, where police also recovered the murder weapon. He was arrested and subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. In November 2019, Javyn McNish was convicted of second-degree murder and weapons possession. The following month, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of Jerrel Lewis.
