FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for Fatally Shooting Two Men in Brownsville Following an Earlier Argument
Defendant Fired Six Shots at the Victims, Killing Both Men
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 23-year-old Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for fatally shooting two men in July 2016, after walking away from an argument and returning with a gun.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Gun violence in our communities destroys lives, families and makes our streets unsafe. We will continue to prosecute all gun crimes against individuals who use violence such as this defendant. Two families were left without their loved ones, and that is an avoidable tragedy they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Tariq Hargrove, 23, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice William Harrington to 25 years to life in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder on August 5, 2019.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on July 15, 2016, the defendant was arguing with one victim, Jeffrey James, 37, outside of the New York City Housing Authority’s Howard Houses in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The second victim, Perry Chance, 40, who knew both the defendant and James, tried to intervene to end the argument. James then began to argue with Chance for getting involved, but ultimately all three men walked away from the argument.
The same morning, at approximately 4:03 a.m. outside of 101 Osborn Street, as Chance was walking with his wife, they saw James on the street. The men began to argue about what happened earlier. During the argument, the defendant approached them from nearby Pitkin Avenue and fired six shots, hitting both victims. James was shot five times, and Chance was shot once. Both victims died at Brookdale University Hospital.
Three eyewitnesses who knew the defendant identified him as the shooter. The defendant was arrested in Harlem on August 22, 2016.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Emily Dean, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Homicide Bureau Chief.
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