Messiah Nantwi, 21, was arrested on Tue. April 11, and charged with 2 counts of homicide, plus one rely of felony possession of a weapon, for two successive Harlem murders throughout Easter weekend. He was out on bail following a February 2021 shootout with police in The Bronx.
Police say on Saturday April 8, at roughly 4:45 PM. Nantwi shot Jaylen Duncan, a 19-year-old male from 8 West 118th St. Harlem, within the head within the neighborhood of Madison Ave and 132nd St., who was later declared useless at Harlem Hospital. They didn’t reveal what triggered the taking pictures.
Then the next day at roughly 7:48PM, inside a smoke store at 304 Malcolm X Blvd., 125-126 Sts., he allegedly shot Brandon Brunson, 36, visiting from East New York, Brooklyn, after a short dispute.
Retailer surveillance video footage captured Sunday’s total episode, however with out audio, was retrieved by police. It exhibits a number of individuals are inside the shop, whereas Nantwi – donning a darkish jacket with an FDNY brand and a backwards black baseball cap, speaking to a person, later recognized as Mr. Brunson, in a tan jacket. Then as Brunson turns round to depart, he will get shot within the head in cowardly trend and collapses to the ground, and different patrons run out the shop. Nantwi begins to depart, then immediately stops and shoots his sufferer as soon as extra within the head, then reaches into Brunson’s pocket.
Nantwu fled the scene on foot northbound towards 126th St. The sufferer was transported to NYC Well being and Hospitals/Harlem the place he was pronounced deceased.
Investigators stated Brunson had been employed on the close by Mount Morris Plaza Senior Housing for a number of years and was planning to take his 6-year-old nephew on an Easter egg hunt.
Nantwi [2333 5th Ave. New York, NY] was out on bail since April 2021 following a shootout with police within the Bronx earlier that Feb. the place he was severely injured and charged with first- and second-degree tried homicide, three counts of menacing a police officer, felony use and possession of a firearm, resisting arrest and possession of graffiti devices.
Reportedly, he and one other male have been seen at Elton Ave. and East 153rd St. portray graffiti when a police sergeant –Darren Earl, and officers Malik Underwood and Erick Reyes, approached them and a shootout ensued. Police unloaded 31 rounds, putting Nantwi a number of instances. They weren’t injured.
“You shot at a cop; you supposedly killed somebody, why was this individual not in jail?” Mr. Brunson’s mom, Gwendolyn Brunson, requested throughout a current media report. “It blows my thoughts.”
Initially he obtained a $500,000 BAIL, which the choose later decreased to $300,000 after his indictment, and Nantwi posted 10% [$30,000 cash] and was launched that April.
Nantwi’s lawyer within the Bronx case declined to remark.
“This perp shot at a cop after which he was launched solely to commit two homicides,” retired NYPD detective and present professor at John Jay Faculty, Michael Alcazarm famous. “The system failed the Metropolis of New York. This individual shot at police. To me, that’s, like, a no brainer. He ought to have stayed in jail.”
