Mount Vernon Teen Fatally Shot: Suspect Tried To Escape On Plane To Jamaica, DA Says

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Mount Vernon resident Akeem Grant, age 33, was arraigned in Westchester County Court on Thursday, May 18 on an indictment charging him with the murder of 18-year-old Tamani Turner in Mount Vernon, according to Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah. 

According to the District Attorney's Office, on Thursday, April 6, just after 12:30 p.m., Grant had been sitting in his car when he shot Turner two times in the chest while he was standing on his parked car's passenger side on Garden Avenue in Mount Vernon.

After the shooting, Turner was taken to Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital and then Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx for emergency surgery. However, he later died from his injuries. 

Following this, Grant allegedly set fire to his car in the Bronx to destroy the evidence of the shooting. He was later arrested at Philadelphia International Airport while trying to board a flight to Jamaica on Friday, April 7, according to Rocah. 

Grant was indicted by a Westchester Grand Jury for the following charges: 

  • Second-degree murder;
  • Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon;
  • Third-degree arson;
  • Tampering with physical evidence. 

He has since been remanded. Grant also has a pending animal abuse case in Mount Vernon City Court, according to Rocah's office. 

"Another young life has been tragically lost because of an alleged merciless act of gun violence," Rocah said of Turner's death, adding, "Thanks to the swift action of our law enforcement partners, we can now work to secure justice for Tamani Turner, his family, and the Mount Vernon community.”

Two other men were also arrested on the day of Turner's funeral, including an alleged witness to the shooting, according to Mount Vernon city officials. 

One of the men had been trying to stop the arrest of the witness, who tried fleeing after he was spotted by detectives at the funeral held in Mount Vernon. 

Both were then taken to Mount Vernon Police Jail and were arraigned in Mount Vernon City Court on Wednesday, April 19. 

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