Murder of Yusef Hawkins

Yusef Hawkins
Born(1973-03-19)March 19, 1973
DiedAugust 23, 1989 (1989-08-24) (aged 16)
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, United States
OccupationStudent
Known forMurder victim

Yusef Kirriem Hawkins (also spelled as Yusuf Hawkins, March 19, 1973 – August 23, 1989) was a 16-year-old black teenager from the neighborhood of East New York,[1] in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, who was shot to death on August 23, 1989, in Bensonhurst, a predominantly Italian-American working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn. Hawkins, his younger brother, and two friends were attacked by a crowd of 10 to 30 white youths, with at least seven of them wielding baseball bats. One, armed with a handgun, shot Hawkins twice in the chest, killing him.[2][3] In 2005, former Gambino crime family member Joseph D'Angelo admitted that the killers were present at his request, meant to serve as protection for his property from an expected racially motivated situation, which instead created the situation.[4]

  1. ^ Danielle, Britni (June 20, 2018). "5 Things To Know About 'Storm Over Brooklyn,' A New Doc On Yusuf Hawkins". Essence. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  2. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (August 25, 1989). "Black Youth Is Killed by Whites; Brooklyn Attack Is Called Racial". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  3. ^ Anderson, Lorrin; Tucker, William (June 25, 1990). "Cracks in the mosaic – Bensonhurst incident case". National Review. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  4. ^ Smith, Kati Cornell (August 19, 2005). "Gotti Rat: My Thugs Were Behind '89 Yusuf Race Slay". New York Post.