Jason Lloyd Allwood, a 33-year-old male Army veteran, was fatally shot in the Bronx on March 13, 2015. The tragic chain of events began when Allwood, a father of two, was at a party with a friend. A fight broke out, and he intervened to stop the altercation. Believing the conflict was resolved, Allwood and his friend left the party. However, they were pursued by a vehicle to a dead-end street on Murdock Avenue where Allwood was shot.
The incident stemmed from a misunderstanding following
a barroom brawl on White Plains Road. Allwood had stepped in to break up a fight where a man was being viciously kicked. A patron at the bar mistakenly identified Allwood as the aggressor to Carlos Velez, the brother of the man who had been beaten. This misinformation led Velez and his accomplice, Luis Charbonier, to seek revenge. Hours later, they ambushed Allwood on Murdock Avenue, where he was pistol-whipped and shot.
Two men, Carlos Velez and Luis Charbonier, were arrested and tried for the murder of Jason Allwood. During the trial, Allwood's aunt described him as a hero for his actions in trying to save the man being attacked. She also recounted the difficulty of hearing the 911 call her nephew made after he was shot. Despite having been diagnosed with leukemia which led to a medical leave from the Army, Allwood was active in his community, volunteering his time to coach youth basketball. He had also been planning to propose to his girlfriend, the mother of his youngest child, the week after he was killed.
In June 2018, both men were sentenced for their roles in Allwood's death. The judge described Carlos Velez as a 'savage, cold-blooded killer' and a 'menace to society' before sentencing him to 40 years to life in prison on charges that included murder and attempted murder. His accomplice, Luis Charbonier, who was deemed to have played a lesser role, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
