Harlem Smoke Shop Killer on Easter Sunday Linked to 2nd Deadly Shooting a Day Earlier
After the arrest of Messiah Nantwi for a cold blooded murder in a Harlem smoke shop on Easter Sunday, cops charged he was involved in another deadly shooting only hours earlier. And it further turns out, he had been critically injured in an earlier shootout with three cops in the Bronx in 2021.
| 11 Apr 2023 | 09:27
Police had released a surveillance photo and video of Messiah Nantwi that showed him as the alleged shooter in a cold blooded murder of 36 year old Brooklyn man inside an unlicensed Harlem smoke shop on Easter Sunday. Photo: NYPD Crimestoppers
Police said they arrested 21 year old Messiah Nantwi and charged him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the cold blooded murder of a 36 year old male in an unlicensed Harlem smoke shop on Easter Sunday.
Once they arrested Nantwi on that fatal shooting, police said they also found he was linked to a second deadly shooting of a 19 year old victim Joylen Duncan on Saturday on Madison Ave. and 132nd St the day before.
The victim in the second cold blooded murder at a smoke shop of Malcolm X Boulevard and W. 125th Street was identified as 36 year old Brandon Brunson of Elton St. in Brooklyn.
Nantwi was captured on surveillance video on April 9th arguing with Brunson in the smoke shop.
“As the victim was walking toward the exit of the location, the individual displayed a firearm and discharged a round at the victim, striking him in the head and causing him to fall to the ground,” according to a police spokesperson.
Brunson in the CRIMESTOPPERS video appeared to be struggling to get up.
“As [Brunson] lay on the ground, the individual discharged a second round into the victim’s head,” according to cops.
Police said Nantwi fled on foot northbound on Lenox Avenue toward West 126th Street.
Brunson was transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/Harlem where he was pronounced deceased.
Cops said tips to CRIMESTOPPERS led to his early morning arrest on April 11.
It turns out that Nantwi was arrested on Feb. 21, 2021 after cops in the Bronx attempted to arrest him on graffiti charges. In an ensuing struggle, he is alleged to have taken out a .22 caliber handgun and fired at three cops. No police were injured but Nantwi was struck and listed in critical condition and transported to Harlem Hospital.
Initially, he was denied bail but a judge later set bail at $500,000 and then reduced it to $300,000. He was free awaiting his trial for attempted murder of the three police officers at the time of the two deadly shootings over the weekend.
He was denied bail after the last two murder raps.