Lesean Gause, a 19-year-old male, was standing outside the Zaid Food Mart in Schenectady, New York, on the night of June 29, 2015, when he was struck by a stray bullet. Shortly after 11:00 p.m., gunfire erupted, and Gause was hit in the chest. He managed to make his way into the convenience store before he collapsed. Emergency responders arrived and transported him to Ellis Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries approximately an hour later.
The fatal shooting occurred just nine days before his twentieth birthday.
The investigation that followed revealed a grim picture of street violence. Authorities determined that Gause was not the intended target of the shooting. The bullets were fired by individuals who were aiming at someone else in the vicinity of the store. This tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time cut short the life of a young man who had graduated from Schenectady High School in 2013 and had plans to attend Schenectady County Community College. He was remembered by his mother as a football fan who had previously worked at a local Burger King and Hannaford supermarket.
Three suspects were apprehended in connection with the homicide. Myliek Lebron, then 23, Kasheef James, who was 16 at the time, and 20-year-old Joshua Sayles were all charged with second-degree murder and criminal weapon possession. The subsequent legal proceedings brought a measure of justice for Lesean Gause and his family. Myliek Lebron was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Kasheef James, the individual who fired the weapon, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and weapon possession, receiving a sentence of 20 to 30 years in prison. The specific outcome for Joshua Sayles was not as clearly detailed.
