Jayde Browne was a 24-year-old man from the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn who had aspirations of becoming a rapper. Performing under the stage name Taz, he was remembered by a friend as being "very well-spoken and very respectful."
On the afternoon of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Browne was in McLaughlin Park in Downtown Brooklyn. The park was busy with students, mothers with their children, and people playing basketball.
Around 2:07 p.m., witnesses saw Browne inside the greenspace having an argument with two other men. While the nature of the dispute was unclear, gunshots rang out just minutes later. One person nearby initially mistook the sound for a truck's tires blowing out.
Officers from the 84th Precinct responded to 911 calls and found Browne near the entrance to the park's soccer field. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. A witness saw first responders performing CPR on him before he was put into an ambulance and rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. He arrived in critical condition and could not be saved.
The deadly shooting, which happened in broad daylight, prompted authorities to issue shelter-in-place advisories for three nearby schools. Investigators cordoned off the soccer field as they began their work. Police announced they were searching for the two men seen arguing with Browne. Witnesses saw the pair flee the scene, running northbound on Flatbush Avenue and then east to Concord Street. One suspect was described as wearing a gray Nike Tech suit with a black backpack, while the other was dressed in a green Nike Tech suit.
No arrests have been made in connection with the homicide. As of September 2026, the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA) or submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.
