In the late summer of 2014, a trip to New Jersey to potentially purchase a vehicle turned fatal for a Brooklyn man. Mamuka Chamiashvili, a 41-year-old male, traveled to Elizabeth on September 16th after responding to an online advertisement for a Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle. He was there to test drive the car, an seemingly ordinary transaction that would soon take a tragic turn.
After the test drive concluded, Chamiashvili was approached by two men from Elizabeth.
What began as a potential robbery escalated quickly and violently. During the encounter, Chamiashvili was shot. The wound proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident.
In the weeks following the shooting, an investigation led to the arrests of two local men, 28-year-old Ali Garner and 29-year-old Keon Lewis. Both were charged with felony murder in connection with Chamiashvili's death. Authorities alleged that the two men had orchestrated the meeting with the intent to rob the prospective car buyer. Bail for each of the accused was set at $2 million.
