On the night of March 31, 2017, the life of 42-year-old Keith Keita was violently cut short on a street in his Staten Island neighborhood. A Black male, Keita was a father to two grown children and a familiar face in his community. The events of that fatal night unfolded with a chilling sequence captured on surveillance footage. Keita appeared to be fleeing from two individuals when he was struck by a car on Kalver Place, not far from his home.
Following the collision, the two
assailants, described as males wearing hooded sweatshirts, approached Keita and opened fire, shooting him multiple times in the torso. He was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The motive for the shooting remains elusive, though it is believed that Keita was acquainted with his attackers.
In the aftermath of the tragic event, the New York Police Department launched an investigation into the homicide. Despite their efforts and public appeals for information, the case has grown cold over the years. No arrests have ever been made in connection with the murder of Keith Keita, leaving his family and community without answers or a sense of justice. The case is now considered one of Staten Island's unsolved homicides of 2017, a painful reminder of a life taken too soon.
