Dawuand Darrien, 29, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of August 12, 2023, in the lobby of the Vernon Houses, a NYCHA building on Vernon Avenue near Marcus Garvey Boulevard in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was struck in the chest around 2:45 a.m., taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. Darrien was visiting from Pennsylvania; he was a father of two and engaged.

Witnesses described a commotion involving a woman outside the building that escalated into a heated argument and ended with the fatal gunshot. The suspects fled the scene initially, leaving family members seeking answers. On October 30, 2023, police arrested 26-year-old Thomas Nimmons and charged him with murder and weapon possession; he pleaded not guilty.

If anyone saw what happened that night or has information about the confrontation outside the building, investigators and the family would welcome tips.