In the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, a period of 80 days without gun violence came to a tragic end on the evening of May 29, 2014. Todd Edward Wilks, a 37-year-old male, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso on Albany Avenue, near the corner of St. Johns Place. The shooting occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m., and his death was later ruled a homicide.
Wilks, affectionately known as 'Champ' to his friends, was a father of two boys and was described by his family as a good
and close person. He resided with his mother at the Albany Houses, a public housing complex located a few blocks from where he was killed. Family members believe the shooting may have stemmed from a dispute over a car. Wilks's uncle reported hearing that his nephew had been in a physical altercation with another man, and it is believed the shooting was an act of retaliation for that fight.
In the wake of the shooting, the New York Police Department released surveillance footage of a man they wanted to question in connection with the killing. The incident marked the first shooting in that 40-block area of Crown Heights in nearly three months, according to the anti-violence group Save Our Streets Crown Heights. In remembrance of Wilks, friends established a candlelight vigil across the street from his home.
