A Long Beach man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for firing six rounds and killing a man at the Channel Park Homes in Long Beach in April 2023.
On April 7, 2023, at approximately 10:30 p.m., Ronnie Sutton was riding his bike through the Sycamore Court parking lot in the Channel Park Homes in Long Beach. He rode past the victim, 33-year-old Shawn Usher, who was standing in a parking lot next to his vehicle.
Sutton and Usher engaged in a verbal argument and Sutton pulled a gun out of his jacket and fired at Usher. As Usher ran, Sutton gave chase and continued to shoot, even as Usher fell to the ground. Sutton fired six rounds, striking the victim five times.
After Usher was shot and fell to the ground, Sutton pistol-whipped him in the head. Sutton then got on his bike and rode away.
Sutton hid the weapon in a bush on the side of a house on E. Market Street. The gun was recovered by members of the Long Beach Police Department a few days after the shooting.
Usher was transported to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Long Beach by the Long Beach Fire Department and was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m. Usher suffered several gunshot wounds, including a fatal shot that pierced his lung and heart.
Sutton, 52, was arrested on April 19, 2023, by members of the Nassau County Police Department and the Long Beach Police Department. He was convicted on August 19, 2025, after a jury trial before Judge Robert Schwartz of Murder in the Second Degree (a Class A-I felony). He was previously convicted of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a Class C violent felony) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (a Class D felony) in connection with the same incident.
On October 3, Sutton was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of 35 years to life in prison.
“Ronnie Sutton’s attack on Shawn Usher was relentless and merciless in nature. Shawn ran for his life, and instead of walking away, the defendant chased him down. After firing multiple rounds at the victim, Ronnie struck him in the head with his weapon as he lay dying on the ground,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “What this defendant did was beyond comprehension, and my prosecutors saw that justice was served with his conviction and sentence. Ronnie Sutton’s wanton violence and complete disregard for human life have no place on the streets of Nassau County, and I will ensure these violent offenders are held responsible for their crimes.”