A Hempstead man pleaded guilty yesterday to shooting a 25-year-old man to death in Hempstead in May 2021.
Ryan Hamilton, 24, pleaded guilty on February 15 before Judge Teresa Corrigan to second-degree murder (an A-I felony) and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a C violent felony). Hamilton is due back in court on March 18, 2024, where he is expected to be sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. The Nassau County District Attorney’s office recommended a sentence of 22 years to life in prison.
On May 7, 2021, at approximately 5:30 p.m. in the rear yard of 21 James LL Burrell Avenue in Hempstead, Hamilton was socializing with several other individuals. He was in possession of a firearm that he was cleaning.
When 25-year-old victim Trendabi Reid arrived at the home, he and another individual began arguing about a debt. The fight escalated and the pair began pushing and shoving one another.
Hamilton, who had not been involved in the altercation, approached the victim, and fired a single round from a 9-millimeter firearm, striking Reid in the face, resulting in his death. Hamilton then fled the scene.
The firearm was recovered later that evening in a vacant lot approximately two blocks away from where the incident took place.
On June 23, 2021, detectives with the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad arrested Hamilton in Waterbury, Connecticut.
“This defendant brutally gunned down Trendabi Reid during an altercation at a backyard gathering in Hempstead,” said Nassau DA Anne Donnelly. “Gun violence continues to plague our communities, but NCDA remains committed to removing dangerous criminals from our streets and ensuring they are held accountable for their crimes.”