In the summer of 2025, a Brooklyn evening was shattered by a single act of violence that ended the life of 36-year-old Tamika Powell. On the night of June 25th, Powell, a mother of two, was shot and killed at the intersection of Carlton Avenue and Pacific Street in the Prospect Heights neighborhood. Responding officers found her unconscious with a gunshot wound to the head, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Just moments before the fatal shooting, Powell had been at a nearby
barbecue where she was seen arguing with a man. According to her mother, Norma Campbell, and other witnesses, Powell left the gathering shortly after the dispute. The man she had argued with then reportedly put on a mask, followed her, and shot her. Initially, detectives considered the possibility that Powell was an innocent bystander struck by a stray bullet, but an eyewitness account of the preceding argument shifted the focus of the investigation.
The gunman, who was seen fleeing down Pacific Street, was described as wearing beige pants, a white shirt, and a black mask. As of late June 2025, no arrests had been made in connection with the murder, and the suspect remained at large. The New York Police Department has been investigating the homicide and searching for surveillance footage that might help identify the shooter.
Tamika Powell's family remembers her as a 'free spirit.' Her mother, Norma Campbell, has been left to care for Powell's two young daughters. The community has been shaken by the violent death of the woman who had grown up in the neighborhood.
