On a tragic night that began with a simple outing for a drink, Timothy Tripp, a 35-year-old male, lost his life in a senseless act of violence. It was the early morning of June 14, 2014, when Tripp was at the Edge Bar and Lounge on Merrick Boulevard in Queens, NY. An argument, reportedly over a napkin, escalated to a fatal confrontation.
Tripp, a beloved figure in his community, was known as a doting father to his 11-year-old daughter, Tameia.
He was a man with entrepreneurial spirit, owning a clothing store called The Men's Room, and was also dedicated to mentoring youth as a football coach for the Jamaica Bulldogs youth league. Engaged to be married to his fiancée, Vanessa McKinley, he was looking forward to building a future with his family. That evening, he had left home, promising McKinley he would be back to eat the dinner she had set aside for him.
The dispute in the bar took a deadly turn when another patron, Fruitquana Hawkins, allegedly reached for a napkin from Tripp's table. When Tripp reportedly threw the napkin in Hawkins' face, Hawkins is said to have pulled out a gun and shot Tripp multiple times in the head and torso. When police responded to a 911 call, they found Timothy Tripp unconscious and unresponsive; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the days following the shooting, the community mourned the loss of a man described by his father as a 'very nice guy' who 'didn't bother nobody.' A vigil was held on Father's Day, where loved ones released balloons and lit candles in his memory. Initially, police arrested another man, James Walker, on charges of criminal possession of a weapon, but he was not the shooter and was said to be cooperating with the investigation. The search for the gunman continued until August of that year when police arrested 33-year-old Fruitquana Hawkins. He was charged with second-degree murder, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment.
