On the evening of April 4, 2017, a burst of fatal violence cut short the life of 27-year-old Whalen Johnson Gurley, a Black/African American man, in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island. Gurley was with his girlfriend outside an auto shop on Broad Street at approximately 10:50 p.m. when he was shot. He was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center, but tragically, his wounds proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Gurley's death moved swiftly, largely
thanks to the eyewitness account of his girlfriend who was present during the harrowing event. She was able to identify the alleged shooter, leading police to a suspect within a couple of days. The individual identified and subsequently arrested was 25-year-old Richard Richard, a man with a prior criminal record that included a two-year prison sentence for drug-related offenses.
Richard Richard was taken into custody and, on the Thursday following the shooting, was formally charged with murder and the use of a stolen gun. During his time in custody at the 120th Precinct stationhouse, Richard also reportedly caused damage to property, leading to an additional charge of property damage. While an arrest was made, the specific motive for the deadly encounter was not immediately made public by investigators. Richard had a history of 16 arrests since 2008.
