On the evening of April 15, 2016, a dispute in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan turned fatal for 41-year-old Dejon DG McInnis. A Black man, McInnis was involved in an argument with a group of up to four men at the intersection of West 157th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The confrontation escalated, and one of the men shot McInnis in the right leg. The bullet severed an artery, and despite being rushed to Harlem Hospital, he succumbed to his injury.
The incident was believed to be rooted in a drug turf conflict, as McInnis was allegedly selling drugs in a rival's territory, and police sources indicated that drugs were found on him at the time of his death.
The investigation into the death of Dejon McInnis led to the identification of several suspects. Surveillance footage captured images of two individuals wanted in connection with the shooting. Two months after the incident, authorities apprehended 18-year-old Gaston Taveras, who was subsequently charged with murder and weapons offenses. A second suspect, 18-year-old Tyreke Singleton, was arrested over a year later and faced charges of murder, gang assault, assault, and criminal weapons possession. Both arrests were linked to gang activity in the Washington Heights area.
In May 2017, an 83-count indictment was filed against Tavares 'Tay Balla' Gaston, Tyreke 'Slo Mo' Singleton, and Marques 'Geachy' McGeachy, along with ten other members of the allied 'Fast Money' and 'Nine Block' gangs. The indictment included charges of second-degree murder and attempted murder related to the shooting of Dejon McInnis. The violence was part of a bloody rivalry with other gangs in the area. Following a jury trial, Gaston was convicted of murder in the second degree, conspiracy in the second degree, two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, gang assault in the first degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. He was sentenced to an aggregate term of 25 years to life in prison. The evidence presented at his trial included surveillance footage that showed Gaston approaching McInnis, pulling a gun from his sweatshirt, and pointing it at him before McInnis collapsed to the sidewalk.
