MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — Police say the two men found dead after a BMW flipped over in Mount Vernon Wednesday had been shot before the crash.
According to the Mount Vernon Police Department, the incident is now being investigated as a homicide since the two men were shot.
The driver has been identified as Allashun Clay, age 27, of Manhattan. The passenger has been identified as Kevin Shaw, age 26, of the Bronx.
The driver lost control and flipped on East Third Street just after 4 a.m. Wednesday. Exclusive surveillance video shows the BMW traveling along East Third Avenue. It is unclear when the two were shot.
The BMW appeared to have been headed east on East Third when it struck the Dodge SUV/crossover then flipped over, Smith said.
The Dodge was pushed two parking spaces forward by the impact.
Gloria Graham-Cook owns the Dodge. She lives nearby but didn’t hear the crash. A friend called and told her she should check out her car.
At first, Graham-Cook said, “I thought that’s not my car. I didn’t park there.” Then she realized her Dodge Journey had been pushed forward two parking spots. The rear was heavily damaged, a rear wheel pushed upward and a front wheel bent.
“I think it’s totaled,” she said.
Another resident told BW Thursday morning, “I heard four shots, I woke up and everyone’s talking about a car accident, but I know I heard four shots.”
Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Terrance Raynor said at a news conference later Thursday afternoon that, “once the victims were removed from the vehicle, the medical examiner determined that these individuals each had suffered at least one gunshot wound.”
“We don’t know if the individuals were killed as a result of the gunshot wounds they sustained or if the accident killed them,” he said.
It is still unclear who shot the two men inside the car.
“This is an isolated incident. These two individuals appear to be targeted, not a random act,” said Raynor.
Raynor said the driver had two forms of identification with his photo and each had a different name and date of birth.
The preliminary investigation suggests that the victims were in the car when they were shot. “Whether they were shot and continued driving on Third Street, or were shot right before the crash, is to be determined,” said Raynor.
‘Mt. Vernon needs new approach to public safety’ states Councilman Richard Thomas, in response to the recent rash of daytime shootings and fatal BMW car crash.
“The recent rash of shootings and tragic set of fatalities on Mt. Vernon’s streets contributes to a negative narrative that Mt. Vernon must reverse and rewrite immediately, Thomas tells BW. “The only way to restore our reputation as a “City of Homes” and begin to regain the trust and confidence of residents is to hold the current leadership accountable and continue to question their legitimacy to lead the City of Mt. Vernon.”
Clay (believed to be a music producer from Harlem) and Shaw (a former assistant basketball coach at Concordia College) were coming from and music release party at adult entertainment, Sue’s Rendezvous, located at 96 Gramatan Avenue. A source told BW, Police are looking into two cars that left Sue’s as the shooters.
“Mt. Vernon must examine its relationship with late night establishments to better understand whether their activities are generating a larger public safety concern,” Thomas tells BW. “The city must carefully assess if any actions or ordinances are necessary to ensure that safety is the number one priority, at all times.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the driver lost control because he was shot at or fleeing shots fired a few blocks away.
Authorities also believe the two men were traveling at a high-speed.
Police still searching for clues and checking surveillance video from nearby homes and businesses for evidence about who pulled the trigger and led to this deadly crash.
“I can guarantee you that young folks all over this city are trying to do the right thing, but we get a distorted view by the actions of a few,” said Mount Vernon Mayor Ernest Davis. reports WABC Eyewitness News.
Concordia College released a statement: “All of us at Concordia College are saddened by the news of Mr. Shaw’s passing. He served as a part-time assistant basketball coach here for one season in 2010-2011, and left to pursue graduate studies.”
Thomas also offered words of condolences; “On behalf of the citizens of Mt. Vernon, I extend my deepest condolences to the victims’ family and vow to support the effort by the Mt. Vernon Police Department to bolster public safety.”
This is not the first shooting incident involving the infamous strip-club. BW reported March 2nd, a 20-year-old Bronx male was shoot in the leg while leaving Sue’s. A few months before that, there was another shooting that stemmed from a fight that started inside the strip club and spilled outside. It is still unclear if one of the individuals in the fight either had a gun on him while in Sue’s or ran to his car and came back shooting.
Thomas reiterates, “I say again, Mt. Vernon must examine its relationship with late night establishments to better understand whether their activities are generating a larger public safety concern.”
AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester and Co-Owner of Urban Soul Media Group, the parent company, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show. AJ is a Father, Brother, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Hip-Hop Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others.
1 comment
WTH??? SMDH Mt. Vernon , My prayers for their families
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