In the summer of 2001 Newburgh was amid a wave of gang violence that included another fatal shooting on the evening of June 2. Twenty-one-year-old Mario Guevara was in a dimly lit hallway at 112 William Street near Benkard Avenue at about 9:35 p.m. when he was struck by gunfire and killed. Two companions, Cesar Flores and Profirio Lopez, who were with Guevara, were wounded in the same attack.

The shooting was described as a targeted incident tied to an ongoing feud between two rival street gangs, the LaEME and the Benkard Barrio Kings. Two alleged members of the LaEME, 20-year-old Juan Barrera and 19-year-old Eder Silva, were said to have confronted the three men; one assailant reportedly had a .44-caliber revolver and the other a .308-caliber sawed-off rifle. Barrera and Silva were arrested, the weapons were recovered, and both were charged with second-degree murder in connection with Guevara’s death. Barrera was held without bail. Barrera later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and received 5 to 15 years in prison.

Does anyone remember activity around William Street or details from that night that could shed more light on what happened?