In the Bronx, a 31-year-old man named Shawn Ross, also known as 'S.B.', was fatally shot on August 31, 2014. The incident occurred on Decatur Avenue and was connected to the activities of a local drug crew that controlled narcotics sales in the area. An investigation into the shooting revealed that Ross had been shot multiple times in his midsection.
The primary suspect identified in the murder was Jason Polanco, who went by the aliases 'Jin' and 'Wolfman'.
Polanco was a member of the drug crew that operated on Decatur Avenue between 194th and 195th Streets, a group involved in the distribution of heroin and marijuana from at least 2011 through 2015. In addition to drug trafficking, the crew was also responsible for a series of armed robberies across Manhattan and the Bronx.
In December 2017, a superseding indictment brought additional charges against Polanco for the murder of Shawn Ross. This was in addition to previous charges of narcotics trafficking, firearms possession, and robbery that he and other members of the crew faced. Polanco was also being separately prosecuted for the shooting of two NYPD officers in January 2015.
After a week-long trial in Manhattan federal court, Jason Polanco was convicted in June 2019 for the murder of Shawn Ross. A jury found him guilty on all six counts of the indictment, which included participating in a narcotics conspiracy, murder through the use of a firearm, murder while engaged in a narcotics offense, and robbery charges. The evidence presented at trial established that Polanco shot and killed Ross in connection with his role in the drug crew.
