A years-long dispute between neighbors in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx ended in tragedy on the evening of April 2, 2026. Twenty-one-year-old Justin Chatfield was shot in the torso in the hallway of his apartment building at 30 Richman Plaza at about 10:20 p.m. His mother, who had been inside their apartment, found him gravely wounded; he was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital and died of his injuries.

Friends and family described Chatfield as a bubbly peacemaker who was preparing to support a growing family, seeking work and attending trade schools. The argument that drew him into the hallway reportedly involved a long-running feud with a 76-year-old neighbor, Gilbert Smalls. Detectives canvassing the building say Smalls admitted to the shooting and was arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon.

What information might help explain how a neighborhood dispute escalated to deadly violence, and did anyone else witness the confrontation in the hallway?