In the East Harlem neighborhood of New York, a 16-year-old male named Juwan Tavarez, who was known to his friends and family as 'Chico,' was fatally shot in the head on the afternoon of March 25, 2016. He was with a group of friends near the Jefferson Houses on Third Avenue when the sound of gunfire erupted. Tavarez was not believed to be the specific target of the shooting, which was thought to be the result of an ongoing dispute between residents of the Jefferson Houses and the nearby Wagner
Houses. After being struck by a bullet, Tavarez was rushed to Harlem Hospital in critical condition. He remained on life support for two days before succumbing to his injuries on March 27, 2016.
The investigation into the death of Juwan Tavarez was immediately launched by the New York Police Department. However, the case proved to be challenging for law enforcement. At the time of the shooting, there was scaffolding outside the Jefferson Houses that may have obscured surveillance footage, making it difficult to identify the person or persons responsible. In the days and weeks that followed, the police appealed to the public for any information that could lead to an arrest, but no suspects were immediately taken into custody. The authorities and Tavarez's family believed that there were witnesses to the shooting who were hesitant to come forward.
In the years following Tavarez's death, the case remained unsolved, and no arrests have been publicly announced in connection with his murder. The impact of his death was deeply felt in the community, leading to the formation of a gang that called themselves the 'Chico Gang'. In 2019, several members of this gang were indicted on numerous charges related to a series of retaliatory shootings that took place in the years after Tavarez was killed. While these arrests were a significant development in the ongoing violence in the area, they were for the actions of those claiming to avenge his death, not for the original crime itself. The individual or individuals responsible for the death of Juwan Tavarez have not been publicly identified or brought to justice.
