In the Bronx, a borough no stranger to the sudden violence that can tear apart the fabric of a community, 26-year-old Hasan Richburg lost his life on February 8, 2024. Just before 11 a.m. on that Thursday, Richburg was in front of an apartment building at 131 W. Kingsbridge Road when he was shot multiple times in the torso. First responders rushed him to Saint Barnabas Hospital, but the wounds proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The address where he was killed was less than a mile from his own home on Heath Avenue.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to a suspect. On Valentine's Day, less than a week after the fatal encounter, the NYPD arrested 46-year-old Deshaun Coleman. Coleman, a resident of Sedgwick Avenue, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Richburg's death. Authorities stated that the shooting occurred after an argument inside the building on West Kingsbridge Road spilled outside.
Deshaun Coleman was not unknown to the criminal justice system. At the time of the shooting, he had recently been released on parole for good behavior on weapons charges connected to a 2012 killing. In that earlier case, Coleman had faced manslaughter charges for the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Victor Maldonado, but was ultimately found not guilty, claiming self-defense; he was, however, convicted on the weapons charges. Police in 2012 had described Coleman as 'a real thug,' with a history of 28 arrests related to narcotics, assault, and robbery. Following his arrest for Richburg's murder, Coleman was arraigned and court proceedings against him began. He is facing charges of second-degree murder, with court appearances scheduled for late 2024. In the wake of the tragedy, two vigils were held for Hasan Richburg, one at the site of the shooting and another outside his apartment, where friends and family commemorated his life with candles, photos, and flowers.
