Brooklyn Mourns 27-Year-Old Father Fatally Shot Outside NYCHA Development While Waiting for Daughter’s Hair Appointment
BROOKLYN, NY — A devastating act of violence shattered the heart of a Brooklyn family Saturday night when 27-year-old Jahshyim Whitfield was fatally shot outside the Lafayette Gardens NYCHA complex in Clinton Hill. The young father, described by loved ones as a doting dad, music lover, and hard-working provider, had just dropped off his 9-year-old daughter for a hair appointment when his life was abruptly and senselessly cut short.
The shooting occurred around 9:20 p.m. near Dekalb and Kent Avenues, steps away from where a deadly triple shooting occurred last year. Authorities say Whitfield was riding a CitiBike when he was struck by gunfire, taking a fatal shot to the torso. Emergency responders transported him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Brooklyn Methodist, but despite their efforts, he did not survive.
“He took his daughter to get her hair done, he had dropped her off and was just waiting for her hair to get finished — that’s when it happened,” said Whitfield’s heartbroken aunt in a statement to The Daily News. “He was just killing time, waiting for his daughter’s hair to get done.”
Whitfield, who had recently celebrated his 27th birthday in June, leaves behind two young daughters, ages 9 and 7. According to his family, he was an involved and loving father who worked hard to support his girls. “He had two daughters who he loved,” his aunt added. “He loved music and his family.”
A soul full of contrasts, Jahshyim was known to effortlessly shift between listening to rap icon Chief Keef and timeless soul groups like The Isley Brothers. “He had an old soul,” his aunt explained. “He would just listen to whatever he was in the mood for. He loved music — all kinds.”
His grandmother, Evelyn, who helped raise him and was affectionately called “Ma” by Whitfield, tearfully recalled the joy she shared with him just weeks earlier on his birthday. “I cooked him a nice meal of oxtail, cabbage, yellow rice, and cornbread,” she said. “He loved food. He could cook too — certain things — his dad taught him how. He really loved fried rice and chicken.”
In addition to working various security jobs at bars and nightclubs to support his family, Whitfield had been trying to move forward from a troubled past. At 18, he was among 25 individuals charged in 2016 in a sweeping Brooklyn gang indictment tied to eight separate shootings. The district attorney’s office alleged the violence stemmed from a turf war in which six people were wounded and one man killed. It remains unclear how the case was resolved, but state prison records indicate Whitfield never served time in state prison.
Despite his past, family members insist Whitfield had matured, grounded by the responsibility of fatherhood and the joy of watching his daughters grow. “He was trying. He was there for his kids. He was working. He was present,” said his aunt.
The streets of Clinton Hill are once again echoing with sorrow, as residents struggle to understand why violence continues to erupt in their community. “It’s a lot of shootings going on,” said the aunt, who received news of her nephew’s death from one of his friends. “I have no idea who would do that to him. And I don’t think anyone knows.”
As police continue to investigate and search for suspects or witnesses, the Whitfield family is left grieving a son, a father, and a young man whose life was filled with both promise and pain. The killing adds another name to the growing list of lives stolen by gun violence in New York City — a crisis that has left countless families broken and entire communities reeling.
The NYPD has not announced any arrests or identified a motive at this time. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
As his daughters prepare to face a life without their father, Jahshyim Whitfield’s family hopes that his memory will live on in the smiles of the children he adored and in the songs he used to play, switching from rap to soul — the soundtrack of a life taken far too soon.