On January 16, 2022, 44-year-old Lamar Brown was found fatally shot inside the entrance lobby of his Washington Heights apartment building at 501 West 176th Street. Police discovered him at about 1:56 a.m. with a single gunshot wound to his stomach. He was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Brown was the father of four and lived with his mother; his two youngest children, ages three and seven, were asleep in the apartment at the time. Neighbors and family described him as someone who frequently confronted people selling or using drugs in the building lobby, often asking them to move so older residents could pass. His mother said she believed one such confrontation may have led to the shooting.

For much of the year the investigation had no arrests. Then on December 14, 2022, police arrested Jose Reyes, 25, charging him with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence. Does anyone who knew Lamar or who was in that building on January 16 have information that could clarify what happened?