In the early morning hours of June 25, 2023, tragedy struck in the Queens neighborhood of Woodside. Tyrell Smith, a 33-year-old male, was fatally shot near the Woodside Houses. Smith, who worked as a local delivery truck driver, was a father and lived with his family in the Woodside Housing complex. He was standing outside a bodega on the corner of 31st Avenue and Hobart Street shortly after midnight when a gunman opened fire.
Smith was struck in both his arms and legs. In the chaotic moments that followed, he was transported to a local hospital by private means, not by emergency services. When police officers responded to 911 calls, they found blood on the pavement, but Smith had already been taken from the scene by unidentified individuals. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital several hours later. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, though Smith's family has stated that he was not involved in any gang activity.
The investigation into Tyrell Smith's death led authorities to Dewayne Boone, a 35-year-old man with a criminal history that included robbery and possession of a loaded firearm. Boone fled the state after the shooting but was located and arrested in Chester, Virginia, on September 1, 2023. He was subsequently extradited back to New York and brought to the 114th Precinct in Queens on September 20. Boone has since been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the death of Tyrell Smith.
