Multiple Deaths & Arrests Across Brooklyn Over Weekend

A string of deaths across Brooklyn struck over the weekend, from a tragic fratricide to the loss of a local singer and artist.

EAST MIDWOOD – A 20-year old man is in custody after allegedly throwing his younger brother to his death from the top of their 7-story building in East Midwood on Saturday.

Shawn J. Smith led police to where his brother’s body had fallen, in the rear courtyard of their Nostrand Avenue building. Responding just after midnight on Saturday, September 28, EMS pronounced the 4-year-old victim, Shimron Smith, dead at the scene.

Later that afternoon, officers arrested Shawn J. Smith and charged him with murder, police confirmed.

While Shawn Smith had no criminal record prior to the act, neighbors told the New York Times that the 20-year old was “mentally unstable.”

BED-STUY – Later that Saturday, police had another murder to deal with—this time, in Bed-Stuy.

Receiving a 911 call about an assault in front of 493 Franklin Avenue, near Fulton Street, officers arrived at the location around 6:00 pm to discover a 51-year-old male with a stab wound to the neck, police confirmed.

The man was taken to Interfaith Hospital by EMS and was pronounced dead on arrival.

So far, no arrests have been made, but an investigation into the case is underway. The name of the deceased has been withheld pending family notification.

RED HOOK – A Brooklyn musician, Franchesca Lizandro, died after experiencing difficulty breathing while at the Brooklyn Crab restaurant in Red Hook on Friday, police said.

Lizandro, 25, was at the restaurant just after noon on Friday, September 28, said police, when she experienced difficulty breathing. EMS responded to the scene with police and transported the unconscious and unresponsive musician to Methodist Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased, said police.

According to police, Lizandro had a history of medical episodes related to asthma.

An outpouring of support has appeared on Lizandro’s social media pages, where the Dominican musician was known as Franchesca La Profeta No down.

SHEEPSHEAD BAY – The body of a Sheepshead Bay resident was found in the water of Jamaica Bay on Sunday, September 30, police confirmed.

Mark Silverman, 71, was pulled from the water in Belle Harbor around 10:15 am, said police, after being spotted floating near the shore. The unconscious and unresponsive Silverman was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.

An investigation into Silverman’s death is underway, and the Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.

FLATLANDS – Finally, police have made an arrest in the slaying of 33-year-old Sherod Watford at his home in Flatlands.

The murder took place on Avenue M last week. Around 7:30 am on Sunday, September 23, police arrived at a residence near 43rd Street to find Sherod Watford, 33, unconscious and unresponsive at his home, with severe trauma to his torso. EMS pronounced Watford dead at the scene.

The incident was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, which led to the arrest Malcolm Bryant, 30, from Flatlands. Bryant was arrested and charged with murder over the weekend, said police.