On Thursday July 20^th, a judge sentenced Jerome Wilson to 15 years in state prison for the 2020 fatal shooting of his associate, Chazz Mitchell.

The incident occurred on August 25^th, 2020, during a brief scuffle on Oak Street, Yonkers. Following the altercation, Wilson fired a single shot at Mitchell’s abdomen. Despite receiving immediate medical attention at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Mitchell succumbed to his injuries.

After investigation by the Yonkers Police Department, Jerome Wilson was eventually located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office collaborated to apprehend Wilson in April 2022.

Following the arrest, Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah stated that Wilson was indicted by a grand jury on several charges. These included second-degree murder, manslaughter, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled weapon. On May 30^th, 28-year-old Jerome Wilson plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter of Chazz Mitchell.

In his statement before acting state Supreme Court Justice James McCarty, Wilson expressed regret for his role in the tragedy. He apologized to Mitchell’s family and spoke on his remorse for not resolving the conflict peacefully.

I wish I had done more to de-escalate the trouble we were having with each other

Despite no relatives or friends of the victim present in the courtroom for the sentencing, Wilson offered his condolences and expressed hope that they could forgive him.

Initially charged with second-degree murder, Wilson’s guilty plea in May to first-degree manslaughter secured a 15-year prison sentence as promised by the court.

As the proceedings came to a close, Justice McCarty reminded everyone that this case served as a reminder of the importance of conflict resolution and the consequences of resorting to violence.