A last-minute decision to attend a Halloween party just a few blocks from her home tragically ended the life of 18-year-old Omani Free in Newburgh, New York. The high school senior, who had aspirations of attending college to become a designer, was one of two young women killed in a shooting that erupted inside an apartment building shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday, October 30, 2016.
The party, held at 119 Broadway, turned into a scene of chaos when gunfire broke out.
In the hail of about 15 bullets, Free and 20-year-old Tabitha Cruz were fatally wounded. Five other people at the party sustained injuries but were expected to recover. Free’s mother, Rhonda Valentine-Free, later recounted the heartbreak of learning her daughter had been shot after receiving a call from a friend of her son who was also at the party. She and her husband rushed to the hospital, where their daughter died hours later.
In the days following the shooting, investigators identified the shooter and made several arrests. Two men, 21-year-old Rainer Hamilton and 20-year-old Tyson Oliveria, were taken into custody and charged with tampering with physical evidence, with Hamilton also facing a charge of criminal possession of a weapon. Authorities stated that these two men had assisted the shooter immediately after the incident but were not the ones who fired the weapon.
The individual responsible for the deaths of Omani Free and Tabitha Cruz was identified as 18-year-old Nija Johnson. It was revealed that Johnson had been aiming for someone with whom he had a previous dispute when he opened fire into the crowd. Johnson ultimately pleaded guilty to the murders and in April 2017, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. The sentence consisted of two consecutive 20-years-to-life terms for the two murders, ensuring he would serve a minimum of 40 years before being eligible for parole. During the sentencing, the prosecutor mentioned an unreleased cellphone video that captured the callousness of the crime, showing Johnson advancing on unarmed, panicking people while firing his weapon multiple times until he was disarmed. While the mothers of both victims expressed their grief, Omani's mother stated that she forgave her daughter's killer, although she believed he deserved to be in prison.
