In the early morning hours of June 30, 2017, a Black / African American man named Darren Massenburg, age 31, was fatally shot in the Bronx, New York. The incident occurred around 2:20 a.m. in front of the Soundview Houses on Randall Avenue. Massenburg, a father of two, was discovered with a gunshot wound to his head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police investigating the homicide explored a possible connection to a dice game that had taken place shortly before the shooting.
According to the NYPD Chief of Detectives at the time, Massenburg had been shot twice at close range in what his mother described as an "execution style" killing. His family expressed their profound grief, stating that he had not wanted to be in that area.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, witnesses reported seeing two men fleeing the scene. Investigators released a description of one suspect as being approximately 5-foot-9 and weighing 170 pounds, seen on surveillance footage wearing black pants, sneakers, and a hooded sweatshirt. Police also circulated images of a masked individual who was seen inside the building where Massenburg was shot. Despite these early leads, no arrests have been publicly announced in the years following the shooting. The investigation into the death of Darren Massenburg remains ongoing.
