In the winter of 2015, a brazen shooting in broad daylight at a Queens gas station left a 28-year-old man, Derek Quattlebaum, dead and set off a nearly two-month-long investigation that would lead to the arrests of two Brooklyn men. On the afternoon of January 20th, Quattlebaum was at a BP gas station on the corner of the Van Wyck Expressway and Atlantic Avenue when he was ambushed. Two men approached him and opened fire, striking him multiple times in the head, torso, and limbs.
Despite being rushed to Jamaica Hospital Center, his wounds proved fatal.
The New York Police Department quickly launched a search for the perpetrators, releasing surveillance footage to the public that showed two men fleeing the scene in a blue 2003 Audi A6 with Vermont license plates. The footage captured the moments the suspects approached Quattlebaum as he was by his Porsche SUV. After the initial shots, Quattlebaum attempted to flee down Atlantic Avenue but was pursued and shot again at close range. The suspects then made their escape in the waiting Audi.
Nearly two months later, on March 15, 2015, authorities announced the arrests of two suspects in connection with the murder. Charles Williams, 26, and Moeleek Harrell, 25, both from the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, were taken into custody. Both men were subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. At the time of their arrest, police noted that both Williams and Harrell had extensive criminal records. Williams had six prior arrests, including for robbery, while Harrell had been arrested 11 times on charges that included robbery and weapon possession. The victim, Derek Quattlebaum, also had a history of arrests.
Despite the arrests and the initial flurry of media coverage, the ultimate disposition of the charges against Charles Williams and Moeleek Harrell for the murder of Derek Quattlebaum remains unclear from available online sources. While a Moeleek Harrell, identified as a leader of the 'Bully Gang,' was convicted in a significant federal racketeering case that included charges for other murders, a definitive link to the Quattlebaum case is not explicitly stated in the public record. Similarly, a Charles Williams from Queens was prosecuted for a separate murder that occurred in 2018. The specific outcome of the legal proceedings for the killing of Derek Quattlebaum, whether through trial, plea, or dismissal, is not readily available in the public domain.
