On a Saturday afternoon in Queens, New York, a young man's life was tragically cut short over a small amount of cash and merchandise. Twenty-year-old Daryus Clarke was working at The Plug Smoke Shop on Jamaica Avenue in the Richmond Hill neighborhood on March 18, 2023, when three armed individuals entered the store. The robbers made off with approximately $100 in cash and $50 worth of goods.
As they were fleeing the scene, one of the suspects turned and fired a single shot, striking Clarke in the chest. Emergency services rushed him to Jamaica Medical Center, but his wound proved fatal.
Clarke was remembered by his mother as a happy-go-lucky young man who loved rap music and video games. He was the eldest of four children. The senselessness of his death left his family and the community in shock and mourning. His mother lamented that her son had lost his life for such a meager sum and questioned the safety of the growing number of smoke shops in the city, which had been identified by some as magnets for crime.
In the months following the shooting, the New York Police Department investigated the case. Their efforts led to a significant breakthrough on August 6, 2023, when they arrested 24-year-old Albert Edwards of the Bronx. Edwards was subsequently charged with murder, robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Clarke's death. While one suspect was in custody, the police confirmed that two other individuals involved in the robbery and shooting were still at large. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to search for the other suspects.
