On the evening of April 18, 2021, a gathering of car enthusiasts in the parking lot of RPM Raceway in Stamford, Connecticut, turned fatal for 19-year-old Courtney Lewis. A former standout football and volleyball player at Stamford High School, Lewis was fatally shot around 10:45 p.m. following a dispute. The business was closed at the time of the incident, which saw a disagreement escalate to the point where a gun was drawn and fired.
Lewis was struck in the chest and later died from his injuries at Stamford Hospital. Two other individuals, a 17-year-old and a 33-year-old, were also wounded in the gunfire but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a history of conflict between Courtney Lewis and the alleged shooter. According to an arrest warrant, the feud between Lewis and 21-year-old Everett Brown began months prior, around September 2020, at a car meet in Norwalk. The initial confrontation reportedly left Lewis feeling publicly embarrassed. This "beef" continued to simmer, with allegations of a subsequent robbery and online threats involving pictures of handguns. On the night of the fatal shooting, upon learning Brown was present, Lewis reportedly became incensed and confronted him, leading to an argument where Lewis allegedly spat in Brown's face. It was at this point that Brown is accused of pulling out a gun and firing multiple shots.
In the days following the shooting, investigators identified Everett Brown as the suspect. After police executed a search warrant at his residence, Brown surrendered to authorities. He was initially charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm and first-degree reckless endangerment, among other charges. In May 2021, these charges were upgraded, and Brown was charged with murder and two counts of assault related to the injuries of the other two victims. Brown was held on a $1.5 million bond. The investigation was aided by surveillance footage, though its clarity was partially obscured by the large amounts of smoke from cars doing burnouts and donuts in the parking lot prior to the shooting.
