In the early morning hours of August 5, 2014, the life of 49-year-old Maoudo Kane was tragically cut short on a street in the Eastchester section of the Bronx. A livery cab driver, Kane was found with a single gunshot wound to his head at approximately 5:25 a.m. on Hunter Avenue. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene. It was a brutal end to what should have been another night of work for the dedicated driver.
Investigators soon pieced together a harrowing narrative of Kane's
final moments. He had been the victim of a carjacking, shot and left for dead on the pavement as his assailants fled in his cab. The stolen vehicle was then used as a getaway car in a string of armed robberies that terrorized businesses in neighboring Yonkers. The perpetrators, a brazen crew with no regard for human life, targeted convenience stores and a Dunkin' Donuts, making off with cash and other items. In an attempt to cover their tracks, they doused the interior of the stolen cab with bleach before abandoning it near Yankee Stadium.
The senseless violence that claimed Maoudo Kane's life was not an isolated incident. Just a week later, another livery cab driver, Aboubacar Bah, was murdered in a similar fashion in the Bronx, his car also stolen by his killers. The back-to-back slayings sent a wave of fear and outrage through the community of taxi drivers, who demanded increased protection and swift justice. The investigation, a joint effort by the NYPD, the FBI, and Yonkers Police, intensified as they hunted for the individuals responsible for the violent crime spree.
Within two weeks of Maoudo Kane's murder, law enforcement made a significant breakthrough, apprehending four suspects: Takiem Ewing, Tyrone Felder, Kareem Martin, and Tommy Smalls. The case was taken to the federal level due to the carjacking and the crimes spanning multiple jurisdictions. Ballistic evidence confirmed that the same gun was used in both murders, linking the crew to both slayings. In April 2019, Tyrone Felder, the man who pulled the trigger and killed both Maoudo Kane and Aboubacar Bah, was sentenced to life in prison plus 34 years for his role in the fatal carjackings and armed robberies. The judge presiding over the case described the crimes as astonishing in their audacity and brutality.
