On a Tuesday morning in Queens, New York, on December 19, 2006, a 25-year-old man named Laton Spurgeon was killed in a brutal attack outside his brother's home in the Wavecrest neighborhood. The incident, which occurred at approximately 10:15 a.m. on Fernside Place, was not a simple shooting; Spurgeon was first struck by a vehicle and then, as he lay wounded, a gunman reportedly stood over him and fired multiple shots.
He sustained gunshot wounds to his back and legs and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. At the time of his death, Spurgeon was living in Arverne with his girlfriend and their newborn son.
The investigation into Spurgeon's death quickly pointed towards a retaliatory act in an ongoing and violent feud between rival gangs in the Rockaway area. Authorities believed his murder was connected to the recent killing of Cedric Smalls, who had been shot just days earlier on December 15. Police had considered Spurgeon a person of interest in Smalls' death. This cycle of violence was part of a larger conflict that had been plaguing the community, with law enforcement attributing the string of shootings to 'two groups not getting along.'
In the months that followed, several arrests were made in connection with Laton Spurgeon's murder. Andrew Smalls, the 18-year-old brother of Cedric Smalls, was taken into custody in late January 2007. Authorities alleged that Smalls was one of four individuals responsible for Spurgeon's death. The other men charged in the indictment were identified as Justice Favor, his brother Supreme Favor, and Basil Davis. According to the Queens District Attorney, the indictment accused the four men of not only the murder of Spurgeon but also of spraying the neighborhood with bullets, endangering the lives of at least seven other people, including a child. Justice Favor, a suspected member of the 'Get It in Bricks' gang, was arraigned on a 14-count indictment that included charges of second-degree murder, attempted murder, and criminal possession of a weapon. The prosecution described the attack as having a 'wolf pack mentality.'
