Hunt for L.E.S. rapper’s killer
On Mon., Feb. 23, at around 4:30 p.m., Shemrod Isaac, a 33-year-old aspiring rapper, was fatally shot in front of 20 Avenue D, where he lived in the Lillian Wald Houses.
Police and E.M.S. responded and, the victim was transported to Beth Israel Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
On Tuesday, police identified a suspect wanted for the shooting, Shaquille Fuller, 21, a resident of 60 Avenue D, a neighboring building in the Wald Houses.
Isaac, who performed under the name Sham Da God, leaves a young daughter, who he featured in one of his rap videos about being a dad.
“I would always pass him [in the hallway],” a neighbor told Bedford + Bowery. “He always had Pampers and baby formula.”
The gunman, who was wearing a tan jacket, blue pants and multicolored hat, reportedly fled into a building on F.D.R. Drive.
The two men had been overheard arguing right before the shooting, witnesses told police.
Isaac reportedly was ready to take his budding rap career to the next level. His videos span the gamut from raps about his daughter or dealing drugs to Superstorm Sandy.
In his video for his rap “Zone A,” Isaac is shown wearing a hooded rain slicker over his baseball cap. The video starts with a clip of Mayor Bloomberg warning people to evacuate from Zone A flood areas. Isaac raps, “She don’t play, nah, Sandy, she don’t play… Zone A is our home and we goin’ stay.” His flow also references FEMA, contaminated water, long waits post-Sandy at gas lines and the fact that the Lower East East’s public housing is built on landfill.
“And in the Good Book, they say foolish men build they houses on sand,” he raps. “From Second Ave. all the way down to Canal St., it’s all landfill. See, the river was once bigger than it used to be. … The river will one day reclaim its turf.”
Isaac reportedly had a criminal record, mostly for drugs and resisting arrest, according to police sources.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site, www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting them to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly confidential.
DSW thief a real heel
Police responded to a report of larceny just in time on Sat., Feb. 21, to observe the alleged perpetrator struggling with store security at the DSW shoe store at 40 E. 14th St. During the altercation, the suspect flung an uninvolved 6-year-old girl to the ground as he was fleeing about 2:40 p.m., police said. The child was transported to the Lenox Hill HealthPlex where she was treated for a minor concussion and black eye, according to a police report.
Andrey Desmond, 21, was arrested the next day and charged with robbery. A $100 pair of Mizuno shoes taken from the chain store was not recovered.
Le iPhone thief
A 31-year-old man was caught red-handed just after midnight on Feb. 21 stealing from patrons at Le Poisson Rouge, at 158 Bleecker St. Two witnesses said they saw the alleged perpetrator, Amadou Thiam, removing property from some of the 11 victims, all females in their 20s, police said.
Nine iPhones, two wallets and 10 bank and credit cards were found in Thiam’s back pants pockets, according to police. The $1,900 worth of loot was returned to the victims, police said. Thiam was charged with grand larceny.
Barback smackdown
Mistaken identity slowed police efforts to locate a suspect in an assault at the end of last year inside Automatic Slims, at 733 Washington St. A 46-year-old man told police that he was attacked by a barback inside the bar on Wed., Dec. 21, just after 3 a.m.
The two men got into a dispute before the employee hit him in the face with either a closed fist or an empty bottle, according to a police report. Cops who responded to the scene could not find the barback, who had fled northward on Washington St. A subsequent canvass of the area did not locate him.
The victim, who suffered swelling to his left cheek, refused medical attention at the scene. Police recorded the suspect’s name as “Brian Espineo” but did not have more information until last week.
Bryan Espinal, 24, was arrested Fri., Feb. 20, and charged with misdemeanor assault in connection with the Dec. 21 incident.
Teen tagger gets taught
A teenager was caught trying to make a name for himself on the graffiti circuit at about 3:30 a.m. on Sat., Feb. 21. Police said they observed the 17-year-old throwing up the tags “Ratchet” and “Senna” on the exterior of 118 W. 14th St. A search of his person revealed tools of the trade, according to a police report.
The tag-painting perp was charged with making graffiti, a misdemeanor. His name was withheld by police because he is a juvenile.
A turn for the worse
Failing to signal a right-hand turn resulted in yet another legal problem for a man who already had seven tickets on his record. Police say they discovered that Ariel Chetrit, 24, had a suspended license shortly after pulling him over near the southeast corner of Broadway and E. Eighth St. just after 10:30 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 18.
He was charged with a misdemeanor violation of vehicle traffic law.
— Zach Williams and Lincoln Anderson
