In a quiet Hempstead home on a Wednesday morning, a tragedy unfolded that left a family and community in shock. On August 12, 2026, 52-year-old Dave Adamson, a Black male, was found dead in the basement of the Angevine Avenue residence he shared with his younger brother. The initial 911 call at approximately 10:21 a.m. reported two unresponsive males, and upon arrival, Hempstead police discovered the brothers, both with life-threatening gunshot wounds.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Nassau County Police Department's investigation soon revealed the grim reality of what had transpired. Authorities concluded that the incident was a murder-suicide. Investigators determined that 50-year-old Garfield Adamson had shot and killed his older brother, Dave, before turning the gun on himself. The motive for this tragic act has not been publicly disclosed, leaving loved ones to grapple with the sudden and violent loss. The investigation was swiftly concluded, with police assuring the public that there was no further threat.
The news of the brothers' deaths sent ripples of grief through the community. Donald Adamson, the older brother of Dave and Garfield, expressed his profound shock and inability to comprehend the violence that had claimed his younger siblings. Bishop Phillip E. Elliott of the Antioch Baptist Church of Hempstead, where Dave Adamson had worked as a sexton, shared that the entire community was stunned by the loss. As there was no surviving suspect, the case did not proceed to an arrest or trial, leaving the family and community to mourn the devastating outcome of a deeply personal and familial tragedy. The case is considered closed by law enforcement due to the death of the perpetrator.
