In the early morning hours of September 2, 2023, a dispute in Queens, New York, turned deadly, claiming the life of 31-year-old Treva Sookgal, a male resident of the borough. The incident unfolded around 4:19 a.m. near the intersection of 125th Street and 101st Avenue in the South Richmond Hill neighborhood. Police responded to a 911 call and discovered Sookgal at the scene with a fatal gunshot wound to his chest. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified a suspect, Shawn Singh, a 23-year-old man from Schenectady, New York. Video surveillance from the area captured the events leading up to the shooting. The footage showed Sookgal and Singh engaged in a verbal altercation. During the argument, Singh was seen brandishing a handgun and pointing it at several people. The confrontation escalated when Singh punched Sookgal in the face before firing the weapon, striking him in the chest.
Following the shooting, Singh fled the scene with a companion. However, his freedom was short-lived. The New York Police Department apprehended him the following day, on September 3, 2023, at approximately 2:30 a.m. in the Bronx. Investigators at the scene of the crime recovered a shell casing and a live round.
Shawn Singh was subsequently charged with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon. He was later arraigned on a six-count indictment that included the initial charges as well as two additional counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and three counts of menacing in the second degree. If convicted of the murder charge, he faces the possibility of 25 years to life in prison.
