In a tragic turn of events that began as a drug deal, 21-year-old Usman Pirzada, a male college student and aspiring pilot, was shot and killed in Schenectady, New York. The incident unfolded on the evening of December 19, 2023, near the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Steuben Street in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood. Authorities reported that what was intended to be a sale of marijuana quickly escalated into a fatal robbery.
Responding to the scene at 8:49 p.m., police discovered
Pirzada with a gunshot wound. He was transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the following morning. Investigators found several shell casings at the location of the shooting. The investigation swiftly led to the identification of two teenage suspects who were involved in the plan to rob Pirzada.
Law enforcement officials arrested 18-year-old Jevoun Drake of Schenectady and 18-year-old Jose Amey of Troy in connection with the homicide. According to court documents and statements from the district attorney, the two had arranged to meet Pirzada under the pretense of purchasing marijuana. During the encounter, Drake brandished a pistol. He confessed to panicking and firing the fatal shot when Pirzada, who was in the back seat of a car, allegedly reached for the weapon after Amey took the marijuana. Drake was apprehended the same day as the shooting, and Amey was taken into custody the next day.
Jevoun Drake was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon. He later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. Jose Amey was charged with first-degree robbery for his role in the incident. He pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and was sentenced to seven years in prison, to be followed by five years of post-release supervision. The district attorney noted that while both young men had planned the robbery, murder was not their initial intent, and both expressed remorse for their actions.
