On an autumn evening in New York, New York, a life full of promise was tragically cut short. Twenty-three-year-old Muhammad Abdal-Aziz, a young male with aspirations of a career in dentistry, was fatally shot on October 28, 2015. The incident occurred at approximately 8:06 p.m. at the corner of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and West 112th Street in Harlem. Emergency responders found Abdal-Aziz with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body. He was rushed to Mount Sinai St.
Luke's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In the wake of the shooting, Abdal-Aziz's family remembered him as a respectful young man with a bright future. His father, Marzuq Muhammad, shared his son's dream of becoming a dentist. An uncle described him as a "great kid." Relatives recounted that just an hour before the shooting, Abdal-Aziz had been at home, playing with his nephews. He had told them he would be right back. While his family acknowledged that he may have gotten involved with the "wrong crowd," they were adamant that the shooting was not gang-related. At the time of his death, Abdal-Aziz was employed by a trucking company.
The shooting also left another man, aged 34, wounded. He was shot in the torso but was able to hail a taxi to Harlem Hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition. In the days following the shooting, the New York Police Department released a video of a person of interest they were seeking for questioning. The individual was described as a man wearing a black jacket and carrying a large umbrella.
As of late 2015, no arrests had been made in connection with the fatal shooting of Muhammad Abdal-Aziz. The investigation into his death was ongoing as police continued their search for the gunman responsible for ending the life of a young man on a Harlem street corner.
