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7 indicted in deadly shootout at a Queens baby shower
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jan 24, 2025
Modified Jan 24, 2025
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Queens District Attorney's Office
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jan 24, 2025
Modified Jan 24, 2025
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Seven men have been indicted for what authorities say was their involvement in a deadly, gang-related shootout in front of young children at a Richmond Hill baby shower last year. One of the men has yet to be apprehended.
The shooting resulted in the death of 24-year-old Great Neck, Long Island resident Jefari Dobie-Reinhardt and injuries to three others in attendance, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office.
More than 40 people, including four children, were in attendance at the baby shower, which took place on May 4 at the Volume Seventeen event venue on Atlantic Avenue, the DA’s office said in a statement Friday. It said two people first opened fire at a crowd of about a dozen people outside, before panicked attendees ran indoors, and then several people fired guns back out through the venue’s windows to the sidewalk.
At least 35 bullet casings, one fired bullet and two live cartridges were recovered at the venue, authorities said. In the statement, Katz described the shooting as “a scene out of the Wild West.”
“An event that was supposed to be the celebration of a new life turned into a deadly bloodbath when gunfire erupted both inside and outside a party venue,” Katz said.
According to her office, some of the men also tried to hide firearms in food from the party. The DA's office said the investigation is still ongoing.
The 55-count indictment charges 20-year-old Michael Hammond of Brooklyn, 23-year-old Jermaine Orr of the Cambria Heights section of Queens, 23-year-old Javed Duncan of Menands, New York and 20-year-old Jameer Bennett of the Springfield Gardens in Queens with criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a firearm and endangering the welfare of a child.
Hammond — who authorities say hid a gun in a tray of food and carried it out of the venue — is also charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Lagarthucin LeGrand, 50 — the expectant grandfather of the baby being celebrated — is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and tampering with physical evidence. His son, 26-year-old Lagarthucin LeGrand Jr., is charged with tampering with physical evidence.
The DA’s office alleges the elder LeGrand was handed a gun by someone who still hasn’t been apprehended, then stashed it in a tray of rice. The younger LeGrand covered the tray, authorities say. The DA’s office said a 9 mm Sig Sauer pistol was found in the food tray in a garbage bag behind the venue.
The office didn’t release the name of the indicted person who hasn’t been apprehended.
The DA’s office provided names of attorneys for Orr, Bennett and the elder LeGrand Friday evening on request from Gothamist. An attorney for Orr declined comment, and the others did not immediately return messages. The DA’s office said counsel for the remainder would be officially named at their upcoming arraignments.
This story has been updated with additional comment from the Queens DA's office.
Tagged
queens
public safety
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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