Herbie Gonzalez

Herbie Gonzalez was remembered by loved ones as the life of the party, a genuine and caring man who was the kind of big brother every girl hopes to have. Described as someone who would give you the shirt off his back, he was said to have always had a smile on his face. A 36-year-old Hispanic man, his life was violently ended in the early morning hours of Monday, August 24, 2015, just three blocks from his apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Shortly before 1 a.m., the sound of gunfire erupted on Manhattan Avenue. Police from the 90th Precinct responded to a 911 call and found Herbie in front of the Borinquen Plaza Houses, a public housing complex located at 50 Manhattan Ave. near Moore Street. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including to his head, torso, and stomach. Paramedics rushed him to Woodhull Hospital, but the injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead. At the time, police noted that he was not a resident of the housing complex where he was found.

The investigation into Herbie’s death was handled by the New York Police Department. Less than two weeks later, on September 4, 2015, detectives arrested 20-year-old Bonitti Cook in connection with the fatal shooting. Cook, a resident of the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

The case against Bonitti Cook proceeded through the Kings County court system. In November 2017, a jury rendered its verdict. While he was initially charged with murder, court records show that Cook was ultimately convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. An appeal of this conviction was affirmed by the appellate court in April 2021, which also determined that the sentence imposed was not excessive. Further details on a conviction or acquittal related to the murder charge are not publicly available.

The shooting occurred during a year when New York City was experiencing a 7% spike in murders compared to the previous year. The 90th Precinct, which includes the area of Williamsburg where Herbie was killed, saw a significant increase in gang-related shootings in 2015, though authorities did not specify if Herbie's death was connected to gang activity.

In the years since his death, those who knew and loved Herbie Gonzalez have kept his memory alive. On a memorial page, friends and family have lit virtual candles and left messages of love and remembrance. One tribute reads, "I miss you dearly big brother," while another says, "Thank you for being the big brother every girl hopes to have." His personality was recalled as that of a "very nice genuine dude" who was always smiling, even, one person wrote, when he took his final breath. The case is now considered closed with the conviction and sentencing of Bonitti Cook.