In the early morning hours of October 20, 2024, the life of 49-year-old Mohammed X. Poquee, a Black male, was cut short in a burst of violence inside the Ida Yarborough Apartments on North Pearl Street in Albany, New York. Just after midnight, a gathering was underway in the vestibule of the building, with people drinking and dancing to music. Poquee became involved in a verbal dispute with another man, 26-year-old Jonte A.
Wunner.
Surveillance footage from the apartment building captured the tragic escalation of their argument. As the two men exchanged words, Wunner, who was wearing a bright orange ski mask, pulled a handgun from his waistband and concealed it in his coat pocket. Despite a friend of Wunner's attempting to intervene, the confrontation intensified. Poquee raised his palms, a gesture suggesting he was unarmed. Wunner then drew his weapon and fired five shots, striking Poquee in the arm and neck. The shot to his neck proved fatal, severing his carotid artery. He was transported to Albany Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Albany police swiftly identified Jonte A. Wunner of Monticello as the suspect. He was arrested eight days after the shooting, at which time he was found to be in possession of a. 38 caliber handgun. Wunner was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. The motive for the shooting was not publicly detailed, though it stemmed from the argument that unfolded in the apartment building's corridor.
The case proceeded to trial, where the nine minutes of security camera footage served as the centerpiece of the prosecution's evidence. On May 8, 2025, a jury found Jonte Wunner guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and first-degree reckless endangerment. He was later sentenced to a term of 35 years to life in prison. The tragic end to Mohammed X. Poquee's life came less than two years after he had been released from prison for a wrongful rape conviction that had cost him more than two decades of his freedom.
