In the quiet suburban setting of Hempstead, New York, the life of 12-year-old Dejah Daisy Joyner, a young girl known to her loved ones as 'Daisy,' was tragically cut short on a Friday evening in October 16, 2015. She was at home on Dartmouth Street, simply eating dinner with her family, when a single bullet pierced through the front window and struck her in the head. The incident, which occurred at approximately 5 p.m. on October 16, 2015, sent shockwaves through the community. Dejah was rushed to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola in critical condition and, despite medical efforts, succumbed to her injuries the following evening.
The investigation into the senseless shooting revealed a grim narrative of gang violence and mistaken intentions. Authorities determined that Dejah was not the intended target of the gunfire. Instead, the shot was believed to be the result of a gang-related dispute. Investigators alleged that the shooter, a member of the Bloods street gang, fired at the Joyner residence from a vehicle, believing that Dejah's older brother had stolen a hoverboard from his younger brother. This conflict between two different factions of the same gang ultimately led to the tragic death of an innocent child.
In the months that followed, the relentless work of the Nassau County Police Department, with assistance from the Hempstead Village Police Department, led to a breakthrough in the case. On January 10, 2016, authorities arrested 20-year-old Jakwan Keller of Hempstead in connection with the fatal shooting. Keller was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. The arrest brought a sense of relief to a community that had been living in fear and mourning the loss of a bright young girl described as a Girl Scout who was active in her church and school.
The legal proceedings culminated in Jakwan Keller pleading guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter in March 2018. His admission of guilt confirmed that his reckless actions led to Dejah Joyner's death. Consequently, he was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison. The resolution of the case, while bringing a measure of justice, could not undo the profound loss suffered by Dejah's family and the Hempstead community, who continue to remember the vibrant young girl whose life was so violently and senselessly stolen.
