A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 32-and-a-half-years to life in prison for fatally shooting a man during the Old Timers Day celebration in Brownsville Park in 2019. The shooting created an exchange of gunfire between rival groups which left 11 innocent bystanders shot and wounded.
“A beloved community celebration held each year turned tragic when this defendant opened fire in the middle of a crowd," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. "Senseless gun violence that puts innocent people in harm’s way has destroyed too many lives and will not be tolerated in Brooklyn. As a result of this defendant’s outrageous actions a man lost his life, and 11 other people were shot and wounded. He has now been held accountable.”
The defendant has been identified as Kyle Williams, 23, of Brownsville. Williams was convicted of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment on April 20, 2023 following a jury trial.
According to the evidence, on July 27, 2019, at approximately 11:00pm, in the Brownsville Playground, on Hegeman Avenue and Sackman Street, the defendant confronted Jason Pagan, 38, during Old Timers Day, an annual neighborhood celebration where more than 500 community members were gathered.
After a verbal dispute, the defendant pulled out a gun and fatally shot Pagan in the head and torso. A shootout between rival groups then erupted. During the shootout, innocent people were caught in the crossfire and 11 were shot and wounded.
The defendant was arrested on October 16, 2019, after investigators received tips from members of the community. Multiple eyewitnesses identified the defendant as the initial shooter. Police recovered the gun the defendant used during the fatal shooting and obtained an admission from the defendant while he was in custody.
