A baby shower in Richmond Hill, Queens, turned deadly in the early hours of May 4, 2024. Around 1:30 a.m. at the Volume 17 event venue on Atlantic Avenue, two individuals opened fire on a group of about a dozen people standing outside. Guests, including four young children among more than 40 attendees, fled back inside the venue for cover.

In the exchange of gunfire, 24-year-old Jefari Dobie was struck in the chest, taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, and pronounced dead. Three other men were wounded and reported in stable condition. Investigators recovered 35 shell casings and described the shooting as gang-related; early cooperation from surviving victims was reportedly limited.

Indictments announced later named seven defendants, including Michael Hammond, 20; Jermaine Orr, 23; Javed Duncan, 23; Jameer Bennett, 20; 50-year-old Lagarthucin LeGrand and his 26-year-old son Lagarthucin LeGrand Jr., with a seventh defendant not yet apprehended at the time of the charging announcement. One allegation says the elder LeGrand tried to conceal a firearm in a tray of rice after the shooting. Does anyone who attended the event or knew Jefari have information that could help clarify what happened that night?