In a quiet New Windsor neighborhood, the morning of April 8, 2026, was shattered by violence that ended the life of 57-year-old Larome A. Johnson. A retired New York State corrections officer, Johnson, who was Black/African American, was tragically gunned down in what police have described as the culmination of a long-standing dispute with a neighbor.
The incident, which marked the first homicide in the town in over six years, unfolded on Hawthorn Way in The Grove townhouse complex.
Friends and family affectionately knew Johnson as "Tone." He was remembered as a loving husband and father whose smile and personality could fill any room. A resilient man, he had previously overcome both cancer and COVID-19. The day he was killed held a particular poignancy, as he and his family were scheduled to close on a new home just an hour after the shooting occurred. His death sent shockwaves through the community, with many expressing their grief and disbelief at the senseless loss of a man described as a well-respected and kind individual who always put others before himself.
Responding to reports of shots fired at approximately 8:59 a.m., Town of New Windsor police officers arrived at the scene to find Johnson with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel initiated life-saving measures before he was transported to Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, where he was later pronounced dead. The investigation that followed pointed to an ongoing feud between Johnson and his neighbor as the motive for the fatal encounter.
At the scene of the shooting, police arrested 47-year-old Thomas J. Crews. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. Following his arrest, Crews was arraigned before a judge and remanded to custody. The investigation into the tragic death of Larome A. Johnson remains ongoing, with the New York State Police and the Orange County District Attorney's Office assisting the Town of New Windsor Police Department. While the community mourns his loss, authorities have stated that they believe this was an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
