In the heart of Harlem, a mentor's kindness was tragically repaid with violence, leading to the untimely death of 60-year-old Tyrone Swinton. On the evening of February 29, 2024, police were called to his apartment on West 116th Street, where they discovered Swinton unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
An investigation would later reveal the chilling detail that he had been shot 11 times.
The man arrested for this brutal act was someone Swinton had once tried to help. Joseph Fulford, 25, had been Swinton's caregiver for about five years after Swinton had taken on a mentorship role in his life through a local Boys and Girls club. Their relationship soured, however, due to Fulford's alleged drug use and his habit of bringing friends to Swinton's home, which led to arguments between the two. The conflict escalated to the point where Swinton asked him to leave, and Fulford subsequently moved to Georgia for a couple of years.
On the day of his death, Swinton had spoken to his mother, telling her that his former home attendant, Fulford, was back in the neighborhood and was looking for money. Later that same day, Swinton was found dead. The investigation quickly pointed to Fulford, and on March 9, he was arrested at his home in Astoria, Queens. A search of his residence uncovered two pistols, an AR-15 assault rifle, and the 9 mm handgun believed to be the weapon used in Swinton's murder.
Joseph Fulford was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. During his arraignment on March 10, he pleaded not guilty and was ordered to be held without bail. The case continues to move through the criminal justice system, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a man described by his family as 'a good one.'
