On a summer night in 2017, a promising young man's life was tragically cut short on a Brooklyn street. Justin Hackley, a 20-year-old male, was shot and killed on July 11, 2017, in the Flatbush neighborhood. Hackley, who was home on a break from his studies at Delaware State University, found himself in the middle of a dispute that quickly turned fatal.
The tragic chain of events began earlier that evening when an argument broke out.
Reports indicate that a friend of Hackley's intervened in a confrontation involving two brothers, Rasheed and Dean Boland. The brothers allegedly left the scene, only to return armed and seeking the individuals from the initial dispute. Later that night, at approximately 11:30 p.m. outside a building on Ocean Avenue, the Boland brothers allegedly confronted Hackley and his friend. During the ensuing physical altercation, Hackley was shot in the neck and chest. He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In the months following the shooting, the New York Police Department identified Dean and Rasheed Boland as the primary suspects in Justin Hackley's murder. For years, both brothers remained at large, evading capture. The pursuit of justice for Hackley's family saw a significant breakthrough in 2019 when Rasheed Boland was apprehended in Texas, where he had been living under an assumed name. The search for his brother, Dean Boland, continued for several more years.
Finally, in January 2025, U.S. Marshals located and arrested Dean Boland in Albany, New York, bringing an end to the lengthy manhunt. Both brothers have since been charged with murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the death of Justin Hackley. The arrests brought a sense of relief to Hackley's family, who had tirelessly advocated for justice for their son. The cases against the Boland brothers are now proceeding through the legal system.
