Richard Carter, a 49-year-old man from Valley Stream, died on April 10, 2026, after a shooting in Jamaica, Queens. His race or ethnicity was not available in the online sources reviewed. The violence unfolded in the middle of the afternoon near Merrick Boulevard and Sayres Avenue, outside The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York, where a funeral service had just ended.
What had been a gathering of mourners quickly turned into a chaotic crime scene when gunfire erupted near the church and people leaving the service were forced into panic.
Police said officers responded around 2:21 p.m. to a 911 call reporting that a man had been shot at the intersection. Carter was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, but he could not be saved and was pronounced dead there. Early reports described the shooting as a targeted attack, though authorities did not immediately release a motive.
Witness accounts described a disturbing scene outside the church as mourners were exiting. One report said about two dozen people were coming out of the funeral service when the shooting happened. A limousine driver who had been waiting near the hearse reportedly said he was sitting in his vehicle when shots rang out. The location, the timing, and the presence of funeral attendees gave the killing an especially public and unsettling character, with the attack taking place in daylight just steps from a house of worship.
In the immediate aftermath, police searched for the gunman and said the suspect fled the area on a Citi Bike. Reports described the fleeing suspect as heading north on a side street and wearing a DKNY jacket, a colorful sweatshirt, and orange sneakers. At first, there were no arrests, and the investigation remained open as detectives worked to identify the shooter and determine what led to the attack.
An arrest was later announced in the case. Police said Joseph Gilbert Stevens, 33, of the Bronx, was apprehended following the investigation and charged in connection with Carter’s death. Stevens was charged with murder and firearm possession, with one report specifying second-degree murder and two weapons-possession counts. Authorities said Stevens shot Carter multiple times in the torso near Merrick Boulevard and Sayres Avenue. As of the latest available reporting, no motive had been publicly released, and no trial or conviction information was available.
