Lewis Encarnacion was 17 and a student at Heritage High School when he told his mother on the morning of September 13, 2017, that some kids from the nearby Johnson Houses wanted to kill him. He did not report the threat to police. That night, shortly after 10 p.m., police found him with a gunshot wound to the chest at 1502 Park Avenue, between Tito Puente Way and East 111th Street. He was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital and died there. He lived on East 108th Street near Fifth Avenue.

Friends and classmates remembered him as a funny, goofy kid and created a candlelit memorial spelling his nickname LA. The NYPD opened a homicide investigation; at the time no suspects had been identified and no arrests were announced. An anti-gun violence advocate urged residents to come forward, and police offered a $2,500 reward for information that could lead to an arrest.

If anyone knew Lewis, his movements that night, or has information about the threat he mentioned, please come forward.