Suspect Charged In Fatal Shooting Of 1-Year-Old In Bed-Stuy: Cops

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Police have charged a suspect in the fatal shooting that killed 1-year-old Davell Gardner Jr. at a Bed-Stuy cookout last summer.

Dashawn Austin, 25, was charged Wednesday on charges including murder, attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment for the July shooting that killed Davell and hurt three others, police announced early Thursday.

Davell Jr. was at a cookout with his family near Raymond Bush Playground when two gunmen unloaded a hail of bullets on the gathering. One of the bullets hit Davell in the torso, and he later died from his injuries at the hospital, according to police.

Three other men — ages 36, 35 and 27 — were shot at the cookout and were taken to the hospital with injuries, police said.

Austin, who lives in the Glenwood Houses in the Flatlands, was among the people cops first questioned about the incident in the days after the shooting, according to reports from the time.

Cops have also released photos of at least three suspects involved in the shooting. Police said Thursday the investigation is ongoing.

Davell Jr.'s death sent shockwaves through Brooklyn and the rest of New York City during a surge in gun violence last summer.

The shooting prompted a "Stop the Violence" family day and town hall at the park to call for an end to the shooting surge, which has continued into 2021.