On a tragic night in Brooklyn, 76-year-old Herbert Brown became an innocent victim in a burst of gunfire that claimed two other lives. The male resident of the Ingersoll Houses was outside the building at 58 Fleet Walk in Fort Greene on September 20, 2015, when the shooting occurred around 1:47 a.m. Brown was struck in the stomach and rushed to Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His family described him as a cherished grandfather figure who enjoyed spending his evenings outdoors.
The two other men killed in the incident were 39-year-old Lacount Simmons, who also lived at the Ingersoll Houses, and 43-year-old Calvin Clinkscales of South Jamaica. Both were found at the scene with fatal gunshot wounds. Police sources indicated the shooting was believed to be the result of a drug-related dispute. Brown's family maintained that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. His fiancée remembered him as a good, generous man who was always willing to help others.
Months after the shooting, in January 2016, the NYPD identified Allen 'Pike' Cooper, a 31-year-old who had previously lived in the Ingersoll Houses, as the suspect. A wanted poster was released, describing Cooper as approximately six feet tall and 190 pounds, with a warning that he should be considered armed and extremely cautious. He was later apprehended.
In April 2016, Allen Cooper was formally charged in the triple homicide. He faced three counts of murder and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon for the deaths of Herbert Brown, Lacount Simmons, and Calvin Clinkscales, bringing a measure of progress for the grieving families and the community that had been shaken by the violent incident.
