In the evening of October 26, 2015, a violent altercation between rival street gangs in downtown Brooklyn claimed the life of 16-year-old Armani Hankins. The teenager, a resident of Jamaica, Queens, was with a group of friends near the corner of Flatbush Avenue Extension and Dekalb Avenue when they were confronted by another group of teens. The verbal dispute quickly escalated into gunfire.
The shooting occurred at approximately 6:00 p.m. outside a busy Applebee's restaurant.
As Hankins and his friends attempted to flee the scene, a Black male from the opposing group brandished a firearm and opened fire. Hankins was struck in the head by a bullet and collapsed to the ground. Another young man, an 18-year-old, was shot in the ankle but survived. Emergency services rushed Hankins to Brooklyn Hospital Center, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival. His friend was transported to another hospital in stable condition.
The investigation into the shooting revealed it was the result of a feud between two gangs: the '4 to 5' crew based in East New York, to which Hankins was associated, and the '900' gang from Fort Greene. In the days following the shooting, police arrested 17-year-old Malik Peters and charged him with Hankins's murder. Another teen, Tyshawn Simon-Roberson, was also arrested in connection with the incident.
In January 2018, both Peters, then 19, and Simon-Roberson, then 18, were convicted of first-degree manslaughter, attempted assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. Trial testimony established that Simon-Roberson initially fired a gun, striking the 18-year-old victim in the leg. As Hankins and other members of the '4 to 5' crew pursued the fleeing '900' members, Peters pulled out a gun and fatally shot Hankins. For his role in the shooting, Tyshawn Simon-Roberson was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Malik Peters faced a sentence of up to 55 years in prison. The death of Armani Hankins also reportedly led to retaliatory shootings, with one gang releasing a rap music video about seeking revenge for his death.
