Dandre Johnson

Dandre Johnson, a 24-year-old man from the Bronx, was once a two-way player who anchored his high school football team’s offensive line. His life was cut short on a Wednesday evening just eight blocks from his Beekman Avenue home.

On August 18, 2021, at approximately 10:55 p.m., Johnson was with a group of people at the corner of East 149th Street and Concord Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood. Witnesses reported that an argument broke out between Johnson and another man. The verbal dispute quickly escalated when the other individual produced a firearm and opened fire. Johnson was struck in the back and arm. The shooter then fled in an unknown direction.

Officers from the 40th Precinct arrived to find Johnson wounded. Emergency medical services transported him to Lincoln Hospital, but he could not be saved and was pronounced deceased.

The New York Police Department’s investigation led to an arrest just over a week later. On August 29, 2021, authorities took Tyrek Williams, a 20-year-old from Brooklyn, into custody. He was charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal use of a firearm. According to court papers, investigators believed three other men may have aided Williams in the killing.

As the investigation continued, a second suspect was arrested on September 23, 2021. He was identified as Tyree Malone, a 17-year-old reputed to be a member of the JackBoyZ crew. Malone was charged with murder, manslaughter, and two counts of criminal possession of a loaded firearm. The following day, on September 24, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. As of November 2021, the case was proceeding through the court system.