Four years after the shooting death of 17-year-old Devonte Lewis, three men have been sentenced to prison, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Thursday.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Blum sentenced Malachi Simms, 19, to 14 years to life in prison, and Frantzy Alexandre, 20, to 10 years in prison on April 15. A third defendant, Quran Smith, 20, was sentenced April 17 to 15 years to life in prison.
The sentencing followed guilty pleas from all three defendants. Simms and Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and Alexandre pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on March 17.
Lewis, also known as Dior and an alleged member of the Bloodhound Brims gang, was killed on April 29, 2021, in broad daylight after leaving Urban Dove Charter School on East 21st Street near Avenue K in Midwood.
Surveillance footage shows the three defendants — members of the Folk No Love City gang — hiding behind Lewis’ car, which was parked outside the school. Alexandre accompanied Simms and Smith to the scene and was seen passing a firearm to Simms just before Simms and Smith opened fire as Lewis approached the vehicle.
Lewis, who had recently started a maintenance job with the New York City Housing Authority, was shot in the stomach and taken to Kings County Hospital, where he died.
According to court testimony, after the shooting, Alexandre and Simms got into the victim’s car and attempted to drive away before fleeing on foot to Simms’ house. Smith fled the scene immediately and also went directly to Simms’ home.
Officers recovered .380- and 9mm-caliber shell casings, along with one live 9mm round, at the scene. When police arrested Smith on May 19, 2021, a loaded .380 Taurus Spectrum pistol fell out of his pants. Forensic analysis later confirmed the gun was a microscopic match to the shell casings recovered.
Lewis’s murder intensified the longstanding rivalry between the two gangs and sparked a years-long war, Gonzalez said.
“These defendants, who were just 15 and 16 years old at the time, laid in wait and opened fire at their target outside a school — killing him and ruining their own entire futures,” he said in a statement. “We vigorously prosecute and hold responsible gang members who engage in gun violence, which is part of the reason Brooklyn is experiencing a dramatic reduction in shootings. My thoughts today are with Devonte Lewis’s heartbroken mother and loved ones.”
