In the early morning hours of January 2, 2015, the life of 30-year-old Troy Grant was tragically cut short in what would become the first homicide of the new year in Queens, New York. Grant, a male resident of Jamaica, was inside his apartment at the Pomonok Houses on 71st Avenue when he was fatally shot. The tranquility of the night was shattered at approximately 2:30 a.m. by the sound of a doorbell and a knock.
When Grant responded to the summons at his own front door, he was met with unexpected and deadly violence.
An acquaintance, later identified as 34-year-old Shyron Kearse, was standing on the other side. In a sudden and brutal act, Kearse allegedly opened fire, striking Grant in the head and shoulder. The gunshots echoed through the apartment building, leaving a scene of horror for authorities to uncover. Police and emergency medical services were dispatched to the residence following a 911 call, but it was too late. Troy Grant was pronounced dead at the scene, having succumbed to the severe gunshot wound to his head.
The investigation into the shooting led police to Shyron Kearse, who also resided in the Pomonok Houses complex. A little over a month after the incident, on February 9, 2015, Kearse was taken into custody by the New York Police Department. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the death of Troy Grant. The motive for the shooting was not immediately made public, leaving a community to grapple with the senseless loss of a young man in his own home.
