On the night of July 5, 2020, Jose Cepeda, a 20-year-old Hispanic man and father to a young son, was shot and killed in front of his home on Atkins Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn. The shooting occurred shortly before 12:45 a.m.; Cepeda was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center but died of his wounds. Friends and family remembered him for his loyalty and vibrant personality.

According to reports, the violence began when Cepeda intervened as his mother, Rosemary Negron, was being harassed. He was struck in the face during an altercation; the assailant left but then returned with a firearm and shot Cepeda in the chest. Investigators identified 36-year-old Sanadoni Bennett as the primary suspect; Bennett was known in the neighborhood and had a prior weapons-related prison sentence. Bennett was also reportedly trying to occupy an empty apartment in the building, a dispute tied to the confrontation.

The family has expressed anguish over the loss and concern that individuals connected to the suspect remained in the neighborhood after the killing. Does anyone who lived in that block at the time have information about the dispute or the people involved?