On the evening of April 28, 2017, Tyquan Gumbs, a 26-year-old male, was enjoying a game of basketball with friends on Fayette Street in Binghamton, New York. This ordinary scene took a tragic turn when a man approached, called out his name, and opened fire. Gumbs was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene, his life cut short in what prosecutors would later describe as a calculated and ruthless act of violence.
The investigation into the death of Tyquan Gumbs quickly pointed
to a motive of gang-related retaliation. Authorities believed his murder was in response to the shooting death of Brandon Hernandez, which had occurred just weeks earlier outside an after-hours club in the city. This theory led them to their prime suspect, Jabari Ashe, a 21-year-old from Brooklyn. Ashe was apprehended in Brooklyn more than two weeks after the shooting. He was subsequently indicted in May 2017 on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Jabari Ashe's trial in Broome County Court was a focal point of public attention. Prosecutors presented a case that detailed a planned assassination, with Ashe allegedly traveling to Binghamton to avenge his friend's death. Despite the challenges of witnesses with credibility issues, the jury was ultimately convinced of Ashe's guilt. In March 2018, after four days of deliberation, the jury found Jabari Ashe guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
During the sentencing hearing in June 2018, the court heard emotional testimony from Tyquan Gumbs' family. The judge, noting Ashe's lack of compassion, particularly the act of kicking Gumbs' body after shooting him, handed down the maximum sentence. Jabari Ashe was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of Tyquan Gumbs, bringing a close to the legal proceedings but leaving a permanent void in the lives of Gumbs' loved ones.
