In the early morning hours of August 21, 2016, a celebration of life turned into a scene of senseless violence in Brooklyn's Scarangella Park, leaving 30-year-old Daquan Spencer dead. Spencer, a male resident of Brooklyn, had been at the park for a party and an anti-gun violence event, having earlier celebrated his own son's third birthday. The tragic irony of the setting underscored the brutality of what was to unfold.
At approximately 1:30 a.m., as the event continued, Spencer was approached by a man who, without any apparent reason, opened fire.
The gunman, later identified as Raheem Dunaway, 36, of Gravesend, had been seen arguing randomly with others at the gathering before he targeted Spencer. In a shocking display of violence, Dunaway fired 20 shots, striking Spencer 17 times in the head, neck, back, chest, stomach, legs, and buttocks. Even as Spencer fell to the ground and attempted to crawl away, the assault continued. Following the brutal attack, Dunaway fled the scene in a waiting vehicle. Spencer was rushed to Coney Island Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Daquan Spencer's murder led authorities to Raheem Dunaway. On November 10, 2016, he was located and arrested in Loris, South Carolina. After being extradited back to New York, witnesses identified Dunaway in a police lineup as the man who had shot Spencer. He was subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
In January 2019, following a jury trial, Raheem Dunaway was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jill Konvisor sentenced him to 25 years to life in prison. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the murder 'completely brazen and senseless,' highlighting the heartbreaking fact that it occurred at an event meant to honor victims of gun violence and deter such tragedies.
