Man exonerated in 14-year-old girl’s death now charged in fatal shooting in Queens: DA
MIDDLE VILLAGE, Queens (PIX11) – A man who spent several years in prison for the death of a 14-year-old girl before being exonerated and set free has now been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in Queens, authorities said Tuesday.
Dante Hunter, 25, and Shamel Capers, 26, have both been indicted in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Joshua Taylor in Middle Village in July 2023, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Hunter was charged with murder, and Capers was charged with attempted murder in Taylor’s death, authorities said.
Taylor was shot and killed at 79-28 Metropolitan Ave. on July 23. Before the shooting occurred, a friend of Taylor’s threw a drink toward Capers and Capers’ friend after they exited a nearby convenience store, which led to an argument, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
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Hunter joined Capers, and the argument escalated after several minutes, authorities said. Hunter allegedly pulled out a gun and a four-way shootout occurred. Taylor was caught in the crossfire and fatally shot by Hunter, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. A 21-year-old man was also shot and wounded in the arm, police said.
Hunter, who’s from Queens, was already in custody on a parole warrant when he was indicted in Taylor’s death, according to authorities.
Capers, who lives in Hackensack, was arrested last Thursday in New Jersey and extradited to New York, authorities said. Police identified Capers using surveillance video and by tracking his credit and debit card use right before the shooting, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. Capers was allegedly seen on surveillance video firing a gun, which his attorney denied in court Tuesday.
Damone Miller, a 21-year-old from Brooklyn, has also been charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting, according to the NYPD.
Hunter faces up to 25 years to life in prison and Capers faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, authorities said.
Capers previously spent eight years in prison in connection with the 2013 murder of 14-year-old D’aja Robinson before being exonerated in the case in 2022. Robinson was riding a bus home from a Sweet 16 party when she was shot and killed.
Capers was one of two men who were convicted in Robinson’s death, but evidence later proved that the other man was the sole shooter, prosecutors said.
Capers’ mother said his family continues to stand by her son, who has been “unjustly railroaded by the legal system before.”
“A rush to judgment led to his previous wrongful conviction for a crime he did not commit resulting in his unjust imprisonment for over eight years, beginning when he was just a teenager. History is tragically repeating itself,” Capers’ mother said in a statement. “Shamel intends to vigorously defend himself in court and I pray he is given a fair chance this time to clear his name.”
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.
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