On the evening of September 12, 2024, in Metcalf Park on Valley Street in Orange, New Jersey, 28-year-old D'Andre Smith, a Black male, was shot. The incident occurred at approximately 8:33 p.m. near the playground and baseball field. Orange Police officers who were patrolling nearby heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene. They found D'Andre Smith on the baseball field with a gunshot wound to his leg.
Another man at the scene had sustained a non-life-threatening wound to his hand.
Emergency services transported Smith to University Hospital in Newark for medical attention. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on September 15, 2024. The investigation into the shooting was taken over by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force.
Witnesses at the scene described a man in dark clothing and a mask fleeing towards a vehicle. Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Brandon Beasley. Beasley fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, leading police on a high-speed chase through Orange, East Orange, and South Orange. The pursuit ended when Beasley crashed the car and attempted to escape on foot. He was apprehended by officers in a nearby apartment complex parking garage, and a loaded weapon was recovered from the vicinity.
Brandon Beasley was arrested and is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility. He has been charged with murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses. Authorities have stated that the investigation is ongoing as they work to determine the motive for the shooting.
