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Mother of victim slain in 2019 Brownsville Old Timers' Day shooting awaits sentencing of gunman
By
Bahar Ostadan
Published Jul 4, 2023
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Allen M. Pierre for Gothamist
By
Bahar Ostadan
Published Jul 4, 2023
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A Brooklyn mom who lost two sons to gun violence a dozen years apart says she's looking forward to getting justice for her firstborn, who was shot dead at an Old Timers' Day event in Brownsville in 2019.
The shootout between Kyle Williams, 24, and another gunman killed Jason Pagan and wounded 11 others. Williams was found guilty of second-degree murder and reckless endangerment by a jury and will be sentenced Wednesday in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
Jason Pagan
Allen M. Pierre for Gothamist
Bernice Perez has made custom T-shirts honoring her son, Pagan, for family and friends to wear at the sentencing. The proceeding will be a new experience for her – the 2007 shooting of her other son, Joel Moore, remains unsolved.
“We have four chambers to our hearts,” said Perez, 61. “The first of my chambers was blown out with [Joel]. Now I’ve lost two chambers. I don't even know why I’m living.”
Allen M. Pierre for Gothamist
The gun battle at the 56th annual Old Timers' Day event sparked a debate between then-Mayor Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams, who at the time was Brooklyn's borough president, about whether it qualified as a mass shooting.
“That phrase is usually reserved for a different type of situation than what I know this to be so far,” de Blasio said.
Days after the shooting, Adams vehemently disagreed on "The Brian Lehrer Show."
“We normalize the large number of shootings that are going through economically challenging areas,” he said. “That was a mass shooting.”
More than 2,000 people were at the Brownsville Recreation Center on July 27, 2019, listening to a live band’s cover of “Family Reunion” by the O’Jays when Williams confronted Pagan around 11 p.m.
The two got into an argument and Williams fatally shot Pagan, 38, in the head and torso, according to Oren Yaniv, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn district attorney, recounting evidence from the trial. A gun battle ensued between “two rival groups,” he said. All of the people wounded were innocent bystanders between 21 and 55 years old.
A second shooter has not been charged.
Pagan, a father of three who had stopped by the gathering before heading to a family birthday party at Canarsie Pier, was shot several times in the head and torso and died. He was unarmed.
Perez and Williams’ attorney, Edward Friedman, agreed that Williams and Pagan did not know each other personally. Williams faces up to life in prison.
“I'm just glad that the day is now coming and that we have justice for Jason,” Perez said.
Allen M. Pierre for Gothamist
Friedman said Williams was “loosely affiliated” with the Bloods gang. Police alleged Pagan was also affiliated with the gang. His mom denies the allegation.
“They tried to paint him as a gang member,” she said. “He was not.”
Friedman said Williams is remorseful about the killing.
“When you live on the street he lived on in Brownsville, it’s almost like you’re expected to have some kind of affiliation with a gang,” Friedman said. “It’s a source of protection.”
Dushoun Almond, an anti-violence advocate with CAMBA who grew up in the nearby Riverdale Towers, said the Old Timers' Day incident resulted in a series of retaliatory shootings in the neighborhood.
“After that it was like wildfire out here. Everybody was shooting everybody,” he said.
Perez, a former correction officer at Rikers Island, said Williams deserved to be punished. But she also empathized with her son’s killer.
“I wanted to hate him,” she said of Williams. “I shouldn’t even be uttering these words, but I feel some type of compassion for him … I feel bad that he made that choice.”
After Williams’ sentencing, Perez, who also has two daughters, will return to solving the killing of her other son, Joel Moore, who was 18. She’s enlisted the help of online sleuths to investigate the shooting 16 years ago.
“We do the best we can but sometimes it’s the cards that we’re dealt,” she said.
Perez holds a photograph of Pagan.
Allen M. Pierre for Gothamist
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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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