On a warm summer evening in Harlem, 61-year-old Odessa Simms was enjoying a game of cards with friends on a bench at the corner of West 144th Street and Lenox Avenue. It was just before 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 20, 2016, a time when the neighborhood was alive with the sounds of a typical New York night. Tragically, this evening would be her last. A single stray bullet struck her in the neck, ending her life in an act of senseless violence. Police believe she was not the intended target of the shooting. When officers arrived at the scene, they found her unresponsive. She was rushed to Harlem Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead.
In the wake of the tragedy, Odessa's loved ones were left to grapple with the sudden and violent loss. Her brother, Robert Foye, who lived with her and her husband just blocks from where she was killed, was awakened by a phone call bearing the devastating news. Friends remembered Odessa as a woman who bothered nobody and would often unwind by playing dominoes in the very spot where her life was taken. The community was shaken, and flyers were posted around the neighborhood seeking information, with police offering a $10,000 reward for any tips that could lead to an arrest.
Months of investigation and public appeals for help finally led to a breakthrough. In April 2017, eight months after Odessa's death, police arrested 25-year-old Abraham Vah of Queens. He was charged with murder, criminal use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon. The suspect was described as a man in his late 20s or early 30s with short black hair and an athletic build, who was last seen wearing a black shirt. The arrest brought a measure of hope for justice for Odessa's family, including her several children and grandchildren who were left to mourn her.
