Grieving bride sues teen charged with murdering groom the night before his wedding
Kirk Walker, 38, and his cousin Rob McLaurin were killed in horror crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan, New York City on August 24 last year.
Walker, a father of three, and McLaurin, 40, were hit head-on by a pickup truck barreling down the wrong way of the parkway at 2.20am.
The driver, then-17-year-old Jimmy Connors, had allegedly spent the night drinking at a nightclub near Bryant Park before he got behind the wheel of the truck.
He then allegedly crashed into another car, prompting off-duty police officer Boubacar Barry - who witnessed the collision - to pursue him his personal SUV, the complaint alleges.
Connors and Barry entered the parkway and were traveling southbound in the northbound lanes when the truck slammed head-on into Walker's vehicle.
The teen fled the scene the scene of the crash, abandoning his injured 21-year-old passenger at the scene, the suit alleges. The passenger also tried to run away, but was caught by police.
Connors was arrested the next day near the Canadian border. He was taken back to New York and indicted on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He pleaded not guilty.
Walker's devastated fiancée Shauntea Weaver has now filed a wrongful death suit against Connors, Barry, the NYPD, City of New York and Nebula nightclub, where Connors had allegedly gone drinking.
The complaint, which was reviewed by Daily Mail, accuses Connors of recklessness and negligence that 'directly and proximately' caused Walker's death.
Weaver argued that Barry acted as a law enforcement officer and not a civilian when he followed Connors in an unauthorized chase, which she alleges makes the city and police force also responsible for her beloved's death.
She further alleges that Nebula violated state law by continuing to serve Connors alcohol despite him being 'visibly intoxicated' in the hours before the crash.
She is seeking unspecified damages for wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering, negligence, emotional and psychological loss, funeral expenses and punitive damages.
In a statement released through her attorneys to the New York Post, Weaver said that Walker was 'taken from me just as we were starting our new life together'.
'He was the love of my life,' she continued, noting that their family was 'left trying to pick up the pieces of our lives and come to terms with a future without him in it'.
She added: 'Our lives will never be the same.'
Connors has been held without bail since his arraignment. His lawyer previously told the Post that Connors is 'sick', 'autistic', and 'has epilepsy'. The attorney also claimed he believes Connors had been manipulated by someone else in the car.
Walker and Weaver worked at a successful car rental business that they had started together, which she said last year was all thanks to her late fiancé's dedication.
'He put his blood, sweat and tears into it - we both did,' she said at the time of his death. 'He was such a generous, hard-working man. He had a heart of gold and would do anything for anybody. Such a hard worker.'
Weaver was vowed to get justice for both Walker and McLaurin.
'Nothing will bring him back. But we are seeking justice,' she said last year. 'The detectives looked me right in my face and said that they were going to do everything they could to get justice.
'Two lives were lost in a reckless car crash. They need to pay for killing two innocent people,' she added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Police descend on New York City skyscraper after police officer and three others killed in Manhattan shooting
A police officer and three other people have been killed following a shooting at a skyscraper in New York on Monday (28 July). Eyewitness footage taken from a nearby hotel shows NYPD officers entering the office building located in Midtown Manhattan. The gunman, who also died from a self-inflicted wound, was identified by police as Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas. Tamura is accused of walking into the lobby with an A4 assault rifle and 'spraying' ammunition inside, killing four including police officer Didarul Islam, a father of two whose wife is pregnant with a third child.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Deranged gunman's twisted revenge plot on the NFL revealed as four are killed in NYC shooting rampage
The Nevada man who waltzed into a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper with an M4 assault rifle and killed four people before turning the weapon on himself may have been taking revenge on the National Football League. Shane Tamura, 27, was found with a letter on his body indicating he had grievances with the NFL and its handling of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after the rampage at 345 Park Avenue. In the note he railed against the NFL and pleaded for his brain to be studied. 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' Tamura wrote, according to CNN. 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.' The shooter was referring to former Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Long, who committed suicide by drinking antifreeze in 2006 after suffering from CTE. 'Study my brain please I'm sorry Tell Rick I'm sorry for everything,' the note read. Authorities say Tamura traveled all the way from his home in Las Vegas in his black BMW, passing through Colorado on July 26 and making his way through New Jersey to Manhattan. He was then caught on chilling surveillance footage wearing a sport coat and button-down shirt while carrying a large assault rifle into the building, which houses the headquarters for the NFL. The gunman then opened fire inside the lobby just before 6.30pm. Tamura had been a star football player in high school, obsessed with the game and once on a path that suggested a future defined by discipline and teamwork. During his senior year, he even earned six Player of the Game awards and registered 126 carries for 616 rushing yards and five touchdowns in nine appearances. But in more recent years, Tamura had a 'documented mental health history,' NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed at a news conference. Yet Tamura earned a private investigator's license and was able to obtain a concealed carry permit to carry firearms, both legally granted through the Las Vegas Sheriff's Department. He had the license on him when he marched into the building and opened fire. Officer Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old father-of-two who was working private security at the time, was then shot in the back and killed and an unidentified security guard who took cover behind a desk was also targeted. From there, police say Tamura took the elevator up to the 33rd floor and the offices of Rudin Management, which operates the building, and shot and killed a third victim before taking his own life. The National Football League headquarters are on the fifth floor of the building, which law enforcement officials say Tamura did not travel to. However, an employee of the league was 'seriously injured,' according to a memo to staff written by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained by CNN. He said the unidentified employee was rushed to the hospital, where other league employees are comforting his family. All of the other employees are believed to be safe and accounted for, Goodell said, as he vowed to boost security at the league's headquarters 'in the days and weeks to come.' In the meantime, police in New York City and in Nevada are continuing to comb Tamura's social media presence and are rifling through his Las Vegas home to collect evidence pointing to a motive. They have already found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, as well as a backpack and medication prescribed to him inside his vehicle. It is now believed Tamura was the sole shooter in the broad daylight attack, as police say there is no evidence he had an accomplice. Still, officers are continuing to work to determine whether anyone may have helped plan or facilitate his movements across state lines or into the high-security office tower, which was put on lockdown as heavily-armed police officers swarmed the floors. Photos from the scene showed scores of people in business attire frantically leaving with their hands up, as others inside the building barricaded the doors with furniture to prevent Tamura from entering. The shooting also led to a chaotic scene in Midtown Manhattan, with nearby worker Anna Smith, who had just stepped out to grab dinner, describing the 'crowd panic' that wafted over the area. 'People just started running,' she said. 'We had no idea what was going on.' Another witness told The New York Post that 'it sounded like a barrage of shots …Like an automatic weapon. Like a high-capacity weapon.' Another person told the paper that a 'guy came in with an assault rifle and started shooting.' A shocking image showed the victim splayed out on the floor of the office building after he suffered the self-inflicted gunshot wound. His bloodied weapon, which was equipped with a silencer, was found nearby. Meanwhile, the city's emergency management system issued alerts about road closures, subway disruptions, and traffic delays around Grand Central Terminal and St. Patrick's Cathedral - both just blocks from the shooting scene. As night fell, many turned their attention to the loss of Officer Islam, who was working in private security for Rudin Management Company Monday night, according to The New York Post. He regularly works in the Bronx's 47th precinct 'He was doing what he does best, as all members of the police department carry out he was saving lives,' New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at an evening news conference. 'He was protecting New Yorkers. He's an immigrant from Bangladesh, and he loved this city, and everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God and believed in living out the life of a godly person.' NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said that Islam 'died as he lived: a hero.' 'He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way, he made the ultimate sacrifice — shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to the city,' Tisch added. At least four people were killed in the attack, and a fifth is fighting for their life 'I want to extend my profound sympathies to all of the victims and their families and to the brave NYPD cops who today lost a brother,' she concluded. Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, called the loss 'devastating.' 'He was a hardworking police officer who was proud we know from hearing from his family to put on that uniform and shield of a New York City police officer, Hendry said. 'Every day, he went out and did his job, and he went out every single day to provide for his family, whether it was overtime or whatever he had to do to provide for this family.' In a statement, the New York Police Department also called Islam 'the very best of our department. 'He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today,' the department said. 'We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honor his legacy.' Officials have not released any further information about the others killed and injured in the massacre on Monday. But New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state mourns ' four New Yorkers, including one of New York's Finest, taken in a senseless act of violence. 'Our hearts are with their loved ones and everyone affected by this tragedy, and we honor the first responders who bravely ran toward danger.' Mayor Adams added that the city is reeling as 'four innocent families are mourning.' He said that in addition to Officer Islam, the 'city also mourns the three other innocent lives lost this evening and is praying for another innocent victim fighting for his life in critical condition. 'It's unthinkable these people were taken from us so randomly and senselessly. They and their loved ones are in our hearts.' Similarly, New York Attorney General Letitia James added that she is 'praying for our law enforcement and the New Yorkers impacted in the shooting situation this evening in Manhattan.'
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Mass shooting at New York skyscraper leaves five dead, including gunman
A gunman armed with an assault-style rifle killed four people inside a Manhattan skyscraper that houses the headquarters of the NFL and offices of several major financial firms and then shot himself dead, New York City officials said on Monday. One of the four victims slain in the gun violence was a 36-year-old New York Police Department officer who immigrated to the US from Bangladesh. Mayor Eric Adams described the officer, who had been on the force for more than three years, as a "true blue" hero. Advertisement Authorities offered few details about the three other victims killed by the suspect – two men and a woman. A third male was gravely wounded by the gunfire and was "fighting for his life" in a nearby hospital, the mayor said. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the gunman, identified as Shane Tamura, 27-year-old Las Vegas resident with a history of mental illness, had driven cross-country to New York in recent days. The gunman was believed to have acted alone, and investigators had yet to determine a possible motive for the shooting, Tisch told reporters at a late-night news briefing. "Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people and one of our police officers who were protecting those people," Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said at the press conference. Advertisement The slain policeman, Didarul Islam, a father of two whose wife is pregnant with a third child, was working at the time as part of an NYPD program that allows its uniformed patrol officers to be assigned as security detail in commercial establishments. The shooting spree in the evening rush hour began in the lobby of the Park Avenue tower in Midtown Manhattan, then shifted to the upper-story offices of a management company as the suspect took the elevator to the 33rd floor. The bloodshed came to an end when the gunman fatally shot himself in the chest, Tisch told reporters. A photo of the suspect that CNN said was shared by police showing a gunman walking into the building carrying a rifle was published by a number of major news media outlets. Preliminary checks of the suspect's background did not show a significant criminal history, the report added, citing officials. The skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue houses offices of a number of financial institutions, including Blackstone and KPMG, along with the headquarters of the National Football League. Advertisement A large police presence converged on the area around the tower, according to Reuters journalists near the scene. 'I just saw a lot of commotion and cops and people screaming,' said Russ McGee, a 31-year-old sports bettor who was working out in a gym adjacent to the skyscraper, told Reuters in an interview near the scene. Kyle Marshall (38) was working at a Morgan Stanley office in a nearby Park building when his mother texted him, alerting him to an active-shooter incident, and asked if he was OK. "Then she texted me the address, and I was, like, 'Oh my God. That's right next door to my building," he said. Police kept Marshall and others inside that property on lockdown until after 8 p.m., he told Reuters. Marshall lives in the San Francisco area but comes to New York about once a month for work. "It doesn't make me feel less safe to be in Manhattan," he said. "The police responded quickly." The FBI said agents from its New York field office were also responding to provide support at the scene.
