Semaj Smith was a 27-year-old Black man from Brooklyn whose night in Inwood ended in deadly gunfire in the early hours of March 12, 2017. After a night at a nearby nightclub, an argument reportedly escalated onto Nagle Avenue. Police found Smith unconscious and unresponsive outside a building near 228 Nagle Avenue, between Academy Street and West 204th Street; he had gunshot wounds to the chest and lower torso and was rushed to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators described the incident as a homicide and said no arrests had been made in the immediate aftermath. More than a year later, police released an image of a man they wanted to identify and question, describing him as a man in his 20s or 30s with a stocky build and light complexion, last seen wearing a white-and-blue striped sweatshirt, dark pants, and white shoes. Anyone who knew Smith, saw the events that night, or can identify the man in the image is asked to come forward with information.