In the heart of Harlem, on a Wednesday evening in November, the life of Burnie Pleasant, a 32-year-old man, was tragically cut short. On November 15, 2023, Pleasant was outside the Gourmet & Organic smoke shop on West 116th Street when he was shot multiple times in the torso. The incident occurred around 9 p.m., shattering the night's calm. Medics arrived at the scene and rushed him to Mount Sinai Morningside, but his wounds proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The
New York Police Department quickly launched an investigation into the shooting. For nearly two weeks, the gunman remained at large, leaving a community in fear and a family grieving an immeasurable loss. Pleasant was remembered as a beloved father of two with aspirations in music. His death sent ripples of sorrow through his circle of friends and family, who mourned a man taken from them in a senseless act of violence.
The investigation led police to 27-year-old Justin Deprospo of the Bronx. Nearly two weeks after the fatal shooting, Deprospo was taken into custody and charged with murder and weapon possession. In the face of the evidence against him, Justin Deprospo confessed to second-degree murder on October 8. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for the murder of Burnie Pleasant. The motive for the shooting was not made clear in initial reports. The resolution of the case brought a measure of justice for a life violently ended, though the pain of Pleasant's absence remains.
