Omari Ellis, an 18-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in Mount Vernon, New York, on July 29, 2020. He was in a friend’s car on South Eighth Avenue in the early morning when gunfire struck him. The driver, Ellis’s cousin, told officers about the shooting during a traffic stop on South Tenth Avenue; by then friends had already taken Ellis to Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital. He was later transferred to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where he died of his injuries.

His death was described as the city’s first homicide after a string of earlier fatal shootings that year, part of a local spike in gun violence that disproportionately affected young Black men. Vigils and memorials followed and the family publicly called for justice. As of this account, no suspects or motive have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced; the investigation remains open.

If anyone has information about that night on South Eighth Avenue or the events leading up to the shooting, please share what you know.