Two Now Charged With Murdering Guyanese New Yorker

Murder victim Eric Assanah (Facebook image)

By NAN Contributor

News Americas, QUEENS, NY, Thurs. Dec. 15, 2016: Two 21-year-old men have so far been charged with the murder of a Guyanese New Yorker who was shot and killed as he slept beside his girlfriend in a South Ozone Park, Queens apartment Sunday.

The alleged murderers have been identified as Jonathan Chan, 21, who resides on the service road of the Van Wyck Expressway in Jamaica, Queens and Shamar Daley, also 21.

According to the charges, Chan, along with Daley and two other as yet unapprehended individuals, unlawfully entered a two-story dwelling on 135th Place in Jamaica, Queens, shortly after twelve noon on Sunday, December 11, 2016, and made their way to the first-floor bedroom where the victim, Eric Assanah, also 21, was in bed with his girlfriend.

Chan, who allegedly had threatened to kill Assanah hours earlier unless he received US$1,200 in stolen cash, allegedly fired once and a bullet entered the Assanah’s torso, killing him at the scene.

Chan, along with Daley and the two other unapprehended individuals, allegedly then fled the premises but was arrested shortly after the shooting. Sources say Chan and Assanah knew each other and that the shooting was drug related. He turned himself into police Sunday night.

“This is another senseless act of gun violence,” commented DA Brown.  The defendant allegedly unlawfully entered the victim’s residence with three other unapprehended individuals, crept into the first-floor bedroom and shot and killed the 21-year-old man. The victim’s girlfriend awoke to see her companion bleeding to death as the four men fled the scene. This was truly a nightmare come true for this young woman.”

Chan and Daley are charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree burglary. If convicted, they up to 25 years to life in prison.