On a spring evening in 2016, a burst of gunfire shattered the peace in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens, New York, forever altering the lives of one family. Lameak Williams, a 24-year-old Black male from East New York, Brooklyn, was standing near the intersection of 122nd Avenue and Grayson Street at approximately 7:15 p.m. on May 19th when he was targeted in a sudden act of violence.
An assailant approached Williams and fired three shots, striking him once in the torso and once in the right leg. The sudden eruption of violence left Williams critically wounded on the pavement as the shooter fled the scene.
Emergency medical services were dispatched to the chaotic scene and rushed Williams to Jamaica Hospital in a desperate attempt to save his life. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, the gunshot wounds proved to be too severe. Lameak Williams succumbed to his injuries the following day, turning a violent assault into a homicide investigation. The New York Police Department immediately began the difficult task of piecing together the events that led to the fatal shooting and identifying the person responsible for cutting a young life short.
The investigation into Williams' death led detectives to identify a suspect: 29-year-old Dwayne Wright. Authorities believed that the shooting was not a random act of violence but rather the result of an ongoing rivalry between Wright and Williams. In an attempt to evade capture, Wright fled the country, traveling to Jamaica. However, his time as a fugitive was short-lived. In September 2016, upon his return to New York City, detectives were waiting for him at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Wright was taken into custody and subsequently charged with the murder of Lameak Williams. Following his arrest, the case against him began its journey through the criminal justice system as prosecutors prepared to seek justice for Williams and his grieving family.
