In the early morning hours of a Friday in May 2014, the lives of two young men from Westchester were tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire on a street in the Eastchester section of the Bronx. One of these men was 28-year-old Jermaine Johnson. The incident unfolded just before 5 a.m. on Rombouts Avenue near Light Street, a time when the city is typically stirring to life, but on this day, it was shattered by violence.
Police responded to a 911 call and discovered a grim scene.
Inside an Acura, they found Jermaine Johnson and 23-year-old Kaiison Lewis, both of whom had been shot multiple times. Johnson had sustained gunshot wounds to his torso and was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Lewis was also found with gunshot wounds to his head and torso. The area was immediately cordoned off as police began their investigation, with several bullet casings from both. 40 caliber and 9mm firearms littering the ground, indicating the intensity of the attack. While the official motive was not immediately confirmed by police, published reports suggested that the shooting may have stemmed from a carjacking.
The investigation into the double homicide moved swiftly. Investigators utilized surveillance footage from a nearby gas station to aid their search for the person responsible. Within a day of the deadly shooting, an arrest was made. Jeffrey Pierre, a 33-year-old Bronx man, was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with two counts of murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the deaths of Jermaine Johnson and Kaiison Lewis. Following his arrest, Pierre was arraigned and held without bail.
