Suspect Arrested in Shooting Death of 11-Year-Old Ayshawn Davis

A suspect was arrested Thursday in connection with the recent drive-by shooting death of 11-year-old Ayshawn Davis in Troy, New York.

“Police say at around 1130am Troy Detectives arrested Jahquay E. Brown for Murder 2nd degree,” WRBG reported.

The 20-year-old had been released from jail on a robbery charge just two and a half months before being charged in the Davis case, the outlet reported Friday:

Brown was released from the Albany County Correctional Facility June 8th 2020, after spending four hours in custody, according to Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. Apple says Brown’s release was made possible due to recent changes in the state law under bail reform legislation.

In a Twitter thread, the Troy Police Department detailed the events leading up to the suspect’s recent apprehension:

Today we have some very good news regarding the Ayshawn Davis homicide investigation. The hard work of the Troy Police Department with the help of other law enforcement agencies and in particular the NYSP Special Investigations Unit – Troop G has paid off with the arrest of a pic.twitter.com/ImMiMgCLtd

— Troy Police Department (Troy, NY) (@TroyNYPolice) September 24, 2020

The department continued:

Brown is being processed at this time and a formal reading of the charges will be stated at his arraignment. Brown has been interviewed by Detectives and a search warrant of his home in Cohoes has been executed. A handgun was located at Brown’s residence and has been taken as evidence. It is believed that the weapon found may have been used in the crime. We are awaiting testing of the firearm.

“The Troy Police Department cares deeply for the community it serves and we thank them for the support the citizens of Troy show to our members,” the department wrote, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

Davis was shot and killed overnight on September 13 as he stood on a street corner with a group of people, according to Breitbart News.

“In September 2019, Davis was featured in a Spectrum News story after he walked into Jimmy’s Pizzeria and Restaurant looking for work,” the report said.

Owner Tony Buchanan allowed the eager young man to help out around the restaurant and earn some money.

“As a 10-year-old, he’s got that motivation. You don’t want him to lose it,” Buchanan said at the time.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Buchanan shared a photo of the restaurant and vowed to keep the lights on for Davis:

A few days after his death, community members gathered at the child’s home to offer his family support, according to WNYT.

“My son touched a lot of people, touched a lot of people’s hearts,” Davis’ father, Tarence, said at the time.

Following the suspect’s arrest, investigators said the boy was not the intended target and they were searching for the person who was.

Troy Mayor Patrick Madden offered his condolences to the child’s family in a statement issued Thursday.

“I know that this does not repair the hole that has been torn in your lives. But I do hope that you take some measure of comfort in this development as we work to bring those responsible for Ayshawn’s death to earthly justice,” he concluded.