A Baldwin man was indicted on murder and weapons charges for a fatal shooting at a house party in Hempstead that killed a 19-year-old college athlete and injured two others.
On November 22, 2025, at approximately 10:50 p.m., Jacob McMillan allegedly tried to enter a house party at a home on Willow Avenue in Hempstead. McMillan allegedly approached the home and an individual throwing the party attempted to pat down the defendant before letting him in.
McMillan, refusing to be searched, pulled away, allegedly pulled out a gun and fired two shots at the individual who tried to pat him down. The victim was struck in the arm as he dove behind a car to shield himself from the gunfire.
McMillan allegedly began to flee the home southbound on Kennedy Avenue. He then allegedly turned and fired one additional shot, which went through the shoulder of another victim and struck 19-year-old Monroe University student Amira McCleod, of St. Albans, Queens, who was attending the house party with her friends. The shot struck McCleod in the head, killing her instantly. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two other gunshot victims were taken to local hospitals and treated for their injuries.
The defendant allegedly hid in a backyard one block south of the party until approximately 11:00 p.m., when he was picked up by a blue Ford Edge from a ride-sharing service.
The car dropped off McMillan to an address on Coolidge Avenue in Baldwin. The property abuts the defendant’s home on Wales Avenue.
As part of the investigation, extensive video surveillance was reviewed, allegedly showing McMillan in the same dark blue and black “North Face” winter jacket, light colored jeans, and black sneakers he was seen wearing at the party.
The defendant is also captured on video exiting a Long Island Railroad train at the Baldwin train station earlier in the evening, boarding a Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus, and exiting that same bus at the intersection of Baldwin Road and Homan Boulevard, a block south of the Willow Avenue home just before the shooting.
Doorbell camera footage from a home across the street from the Willow Avenue address also captured video of the defendant.
McMillan, 18, was arrested in Baldwin on December 2, 2025, by the Nassau County Police Department’s Bureau of Special Operations. He was arraigned before Judge Helene Gugerty on grand jury indictment charges of two counts of Murder in the Second Degree (a Class A-I felony); Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree (all Class B violent felonies); and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a Class C violent felony).
The defendant pleaded not guilty and was remanded. He is due back in court on February 23, 2026. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“Amira McCleod was a promising athlete in her sophomore year at Monroe University, simply spending a Saturday night out with friends when she was cut down by a stray bullet allegedly fired from this defendant’s gun after a dust-up with the party’s host,” said DA Donnelly. “Our thoughts are with Amira’s family, friends, and school community as we prosecute this defendant for his senseless violence.”