In the early hours of April 3, 2016, a young Black/African American man named Brandon Lawrence, who was 18 years old, was shot and killed in New Rochelle, New York. The incident occurred at approximately 3:17 a.m. in Lincoln Park, where police responded to several 911 calls reporting gunshots. Upon arrival, they discovered Lawrence lying face down in the center field area of the ball field.
He was pronounced dead at the scene from a single gunshot wound to the torso.
The investigation that followed revealed that Lawrence, a freshman at Iona College, had attended a party at an off-campus apartment earlier in the evening. After the party, he and four other young men, including the shooter, went to Lincoln Park. While at the park, two of the men engaged in a pre-arranged fistfight. As the others watched, one of the men, Stivenson Desir, pulled out a handgun and fired at Lawrence, fatally wounding him. Lawrence was reportedly not involved in the fight.
Later that same day, New Rochelle Police arrested 19-year-old Stivenson Desir at his apartment. Desir was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the New Rochelle Police Department and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
In February 2017, a jury found Stivenson Desir guilty on all charges. On May 3, 2017, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for the murder of Brandon Lawrence. He also received a 15-year sentence for each of the weapon possession counts.
