On the evening of March 10, 2003, two NYPD detectives conducting an undercover firearms buy on Staten Island were ambushed. Detective James Nemorin, 36 and of Haitian descent, and his partner Detective Rodney Andrews had arranged to purchase a Tec-9, following an earlier purchase of a .357 Magnum from one of the suspects. The men they met had no intention of selling another gun; instead, the detectives were robbed and then shot when the suspects ordered them to stop the vehicle at Hannah Street and Saint Paul’s Avenue. Ronell Wilson drew a .44-caliber handgun and shot both officers in the head; their bodies were dragged from the car and the assailants fled.

A citywide manhunt placed the primary suspects in custody within 72 hours. Ronell Wilson was identified as the shooter; others arrested included Jessie Jacobus, Omar Green, and Mitchell Diaz, the latter accused of providing the murder weapon. The men were affiliated with a group called the Stapleton Crew and faced federal prosecution. Did anyone in the community remember seeing suspicious activity around Hannah Street that night or know more about the Stapleton Crew’s movements then?