On the evening of February 29, 2024, 13-year-old Troy Gill was walking home alone in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, after attending a Brooklyn Nets basketball game at the Barclays Center. His journey was cut tragically short when he was struck by gunfire in a drive-by shooting around 10:30 p.m. near Bergen Street and New York Avenue. Wounded in the arm and back, the young male managed to call his mother to tell her he had been shot.
As his mother called 911 and rushed out to find him, Gill tried to continue his walk home but collapsed a few blocks away, at the corner of St. Marks and Brooklyn avenues. He was taken to New York City Health+Hospitals/Kings County, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a motive rooted in gang-related retaliation. Authorities believe the suspects were on a 'revenge spree' following an incident earlier that day in which one of the alleged shooters, Jared McCauley, was reportedly lured to the Bronx, beaten, and stripped by members of a rival street gang. The attack on McCauley, a suspected member of the Woo gang, was recorded and posted online. Police sources indicated that Gill may have been targeted due to a recent affiliation with the rival Drench street gang, though his parents were reportedly unaware of any such involvement. After shooting Gill, the assailants allegedly continued their violent spree, driving to East New York and firing multiple shots at the front door of a member of the Drench gang.
In the months following the shooting, the New York Police Department made two arrests. In late July 2024, authorities arrested 20-year-old Sheik Koureichi. About two weeks later, on August 14, they arrested 21-year-old Jared McCauley. Both men were charged with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment. Both suspects were ordered to be held without bail. McCauley pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Koureichi also pleaded not guilty to the charges.
