Leon Jason Brown, a 38-year-old man born in Kingston, Jamaica, was shot and killed on Tuesday, January 20, 2015, in Queens, New York. A resident of Far Rockaway for 19 years, Brown worked in construction and was a father of five children. He was also a member of the Solid Rock Seventh Day Adventist Church.
The incident that led to his death began as a dispute over a dollar van fare on Rockaway Beach Boulevard.
Brown, who was driving a red van, was reportedly involved in an altercation with another van driver. The argument escalated, and the other driver allegedly shot Brown once in the chest. Following the shooting, passengers exited Brown's van as he made a U-turn before his vehicle came to a stop after hitting a parked SUV.
Emergency medical services transported Brown to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead within the hour. An eyewitness to the event described seeing the altercation and the immediate aftermath. Department of Transportation workers who were nearby rendered aid to Brown before paramedics arrived.
By the following day, detectives from the 100th Precinct had identified and arrested a suspect. Fabian Sullivan, a 38-year-old from Far Rockaway and the alleged driver of the other van, was taken into custody. Sullivan was subsequently charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Leon Brown.
