Sharieff Clayton was 40 when he was shot and killed on April 27, 2015, while attending a funeral at Emmanuel Church of God in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The attack also killed 44-year-old Ronald Murphy and wounded four others after a confrontation at the service escalated and gunmen opened fire into the crowd; Clayton was struck in the abdomen and later pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital Center.

Clayton had a documented past of gang involvement and served a 15-year prison term for manslaughter and robbery, but after his release in 2007 he worked as a Program Coordinator for the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, mentoring at-risk youth and advocating for gang prevention. He had written a novel, Honor Amongst Thieves, and was reportedly working on a sequel.

Authorities identified Fritz Celestine as one of the shooters. Reports also named Pierre Celestine as implicated and awaiting trial.