On the evening of September 29, 2023, a walk in the park turned deadly for 42-year-old Levaughn Harvin and his friend, 57-year-old Jacqueline Billini. The two were walking Billini's dog, Zeus, near West 165th Street and Edgecombe Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. As they neared Highbridge Park around 6:30 p.m., a masked individual approached them from behind and opened fire.
The assailant discharged approximately 12 rounds, striking Harvin in the neck and Billini in the back of her head. Both Harvin and Billini succumbed to their injuries, and even Billini's dog, Zeus, was fatally shot during the violent encounter.
The tragic shooting was not a random act of violence but rather the culmination of an escalating dispute between Jacqueline Billini and her neighbor, 31-year-old Lenue Moore. The conflict had been simmering for some time, reportedly centered around noise complaints concerning Billini's pitbulls. Months prior to the fatal shooting, in April 2023, the animosity had already turned violent when Moore allegedly broke into Billini's apartment. During that incident, Billini suffered a broken arm, and another individual was also injured. Moore was also accused of injuring a third person by swinging a hammer. These prior events led to orders of protection being issued against Moore for the three victims.
Following the deadly shooting in September, Lenue Moore fled the scene and remained at large for nearly a month. A manhunt ensued, and on October 26, 2023, authorities located and apprehended him in a Brooklyn apartment where he was discovered hiding under a bed. Moore was subsequently charged with a litany of serious offenses, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, aggravated criminal contempt, and aggravated cruelty to animals. The arrest brought a measure of resolution to the search for a suspect, but the community was left to grapple with the senseless loss of two lives over a neighborhood dispute.
