On the morning of May 27, 2016, 55-year-old Lionel Samuel was fatally shot while stopped at a red light in the Wakefield section of the Bronx. Samuel was driving a 2007 Honda at about 5:45 a.m. when a white car pulled alongside and two men opened fire. Samuel was struck in the torso; a 54-year-old male passenger was shot in the leg. The wounded passenger attempted to drive them to the hospital but the car crashed into a tree at 3970 Bronx Blvd. Both men were taken to Jacobi Hospital, where Samuel was pronounced dead.

Police tied the shooting to a drug-related dispute and identified two suspects with nicknames and prior records: Jonathan Platinum Jay and Sheldon Slim Edmond. Authorities also released details about the getaway car, described as a 2015 Nissan Altima. In June 2016 Jonathan Jay was arrested and charged with murder; Edmond remained at large at that time. Did anyone in the Wakefield area see the white car or either man that morning?