On the cold winter night of January 9, 2023, a dispute in a playground in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn turned deadly, leaving 50-year-old Reginald Thawney dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. The incident occurred at approximately 10:22 p.m. within the Plaza Residences apartment complex on New Lots Avenue.
According to police reports, the conflict that led to the fatal shooting was observed by two officers who were near the playground. They witnessed an argument between Thawney and another, unidentified individual. During the course of the dispute, Thawney allegedly produced a screwdriver. In response, the other person involved in the argument drew a handgun and shot Thawney.
Emergency medical services were dispatched to the scene and transported Thawney to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Investigators recovered the screwdriver that Thawney was said to have been holding at the scene of the crime.
The shooter fled the scene immediately after the incident, and the weapon used in the shooting was not recovered. As of the initial reports, no arrests had been made in connection with the killing, and the investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not released any further information about the suspect or the specific nature of the dispute that escalated to violence.
