In the quiet city of Peekskill, New York, a routine Sunday evening took a tragic turn, forever altering the lives of one family. On May 21, 2023, 53-year-old Ernest Wilson, a resident of Poughkeepsie, arrived in Peekskill to drop off his child at the home of the child's mother on Sherman Avenue. What should have been a brief and peaceful exchange quickly escalated into a scene of shocking violence that would end in his death. As Wilson was preparing to leave, he was confronted by a man walking up the street. That man was Reginald McClure, the new boyfriend of Wilson's child's mother.
The encounter, which took place around 7:30 p.m., was witnessed by Wilson's own children. In a friendly gesture, Wilson extended his hand to greet McClure. However, this olive branch was met with gunfire. McClure, instead of returning the greeting, pulled out a 9mm firearm and fired approximately six shots at Wilson, striking him twice, once in the arm and once in the buttock. The sudden eruption of violence left Wilson critically wounded and his children as horrified witnesses to the brutal attack on their father. First responders rushed to the scene, providing immediate medical aid before transporting Wilson to Westchester Medical Center. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, Ernest Wilson succumbed to his injuries three days later, on May 24, 2023.
The investigation into the shooting was swift, with law enforcement identifying a suspect early on. A collaborative effort between the Peekskill Police Department, the FBI's Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, the New York State Police, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, and the Yonkers Police Department led them to Reginald McClure. On May 25, 2023, just a day after Wilson’s death, authorities located and apprehended McClure at a hotel in Yonkers. At the time of his arrest, he was found to be in possession of two loaded firearms. Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence.
Reginald McClure, a 38-year-old Peekskill resident with prior felony convictions, was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. A Westchester County Grand Jury later indicted him on these charges. In court, the devastating impact of his actions was made clear through a victim impact statement from one of Wilson's children, who spoke of the profound loss of a father. McClure eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. In November 2024, he was sentenced to a total of 30 years in state prison: 25 years for manslaughter and five years for each of the weapon charges, to be served consecutively. This sentence was to be followed by an additional five years in federal prison on separate federal drug and gun charges.
