In a tragic sequence of events that unfolded on a Saturday afternoon, 19-year-old Jaylen Duncan, a Black male, lost his life in a fatal shooting in Harlem, New York. On April 8, 2023, at approximately 4:40 p.m., Duncan was shot in the head near the intersection of Madison Avenue and East 132nd Street. Emergency responders rushed him to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A neighbor remembered the young man as mannerly and respectful, expressing shock and heartbreak upon hearing the news of his death.
The investigation into Duncan's murder swiftly led to the identification of a suspect, 21-year-old Messiah Nantwi. Authorities alleged that Nantwi approached Duncan at close range and opened fire, continuing to shoot even after Duncan had fallen to the ground. Nantwi, identified as a member of the OTN Goodfellas gang, was arrested a few days later while riding a Citi Bike on Lenox Avenue. A 9-mm handgun, believed to be the murder weapon, was recovered nearby. At the time of his arrest, Nantwi was out on bail for a February 2021 incident in which he was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer.
The violence did not end with Duncan's death. In the hours and days that followed, a retaliatory plot was set in motion by individuals with ties to the Lincoln Houses NYCHA complex. Believing that members of the 'One-Two-Nine' crew were responsible for Duncan's murder, they planned and carried out the killing of Hector Delgado, an associate of the rival crew, on April 11, 2023. This act of vengeance led to the indictment of six individuals on charges including murder, conspiracy, and weapons possession. By October 2024, several of the defendants had been convicted for their roles in the conspiracy, with one, Trevor Gibbs, found guilty of murder, conspiracy, and weapons charges related to Delgado's death.
Messiah Nantwi was also charged with a second murder that occurred just 27 hours after Duncan's death. On April 9, 2023, Nantwi allegedly shot and killed 36-year-old Brandon Brunson inside a smoke shop on Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem. Following his arrest, Nantwi was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon for the deaths of both Jaylen Duncan and Brandon Brunson.
