On a summer night in Brooklyn, 22-year-old Terrell Henry, a young Black man with aspirations of joining the FBI, was fatally shot in a tragic case of mistaken identity. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice student was walking home from a party with his twin brother, Derrell, and a friend in the early hours of August 12, 2016. After the party, which was on Covert Street, Henry made a quick stop at a nearby bodega to buy an iced tea.
Shortly after leaving the store, he was shot multiple times in the neck and back.
His twin brother, Derrell, who had been walking ahead, heard the gunshots and turned to see someone fall to the ground, not immediately realizing it was his own brother. Upon recognizing Terrell, he rushed to his side, trying to stanch the bleeding with his hands while others called for help. Terrell Henry was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His father, George Henry, arrived at the hospital to the devastating reality of his son's death. Terrell was remembered by his family as a good son who had never been in trouble and was focused on his education and future.
The investigation into Terrell Henry's senseless murder revealed it was connected to a violent feud between rival street gangs. Authorities determined that the gunman, Quincy Vital, mistook Henry for a member of a rival gang because he was wearing red shorts. Vital, a member of the Loot Gang, had been 'spinning the block,' a term for cruising through enemy territory, in his mother's car prior to the shooting.
In August 2017, the acting Brooklyn District Attorney announced a 69-count indictment against nine alleged members of the Loot Gang in connection with a series of shootings, including the murder of Terrell Henry. Quincy Vital was identified as the gunman in Henry's death. The indictment was the result of a lengthy investigation that utilized video surveillance and social media posts, where gang members would often brag about their violent acts. The charges against the gang members included murder, conspiracy, and assault.
