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Say His Name: Ayshawn Davis

UPDATE: Suspect, 20, Arrested in Shooting Death of 11-Year-old Ayshawn Davis

Troy, NY, detectives have arrested Jahquay E. Brown, 20, of Cohoes, NY,  for  2nd degree murder in the drive-by shooting death of Ayshawn Davis, reported in Our Time Press, this week.

Troy PD chiefs thanked the “community and the support the citizens of Troy (showed) to members of the police force;”  the media “for keeping the tragic death of Ayshawn relevant and in the news” and the  “determined work of the officers, Detectives, fellow law enforcement agencies and, in particular, the NYSP Special Investigations Unit – Troop G.
Brown was interviewed by Detectives and a search warrant of his home in Cohoes executed. A handgun was located at Brown’s residence and taken as evidence.
It is believed that the weapon found may have been used in the crime.

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Last year, almost to the day, Troy, New York student Ayshawn Davis, then 10, was settling into school, the path he recognized as the passport to a great future and the way to helping his community and the world – like lending support to the homeless.
He was not only destined for great things. He was accomplishing them, applying a work ethic to odd jobs in a pizzeria, washing windows and sweeping floors to earn his keep, like there was no tomorrow.
This September, his Lansingburg village is determined to hold a light on his legacy: legislation is being named for him; an “Anything is Possible” scholarship in his name has been established; a portion of The Old Sixth Avenue street is being named after him; stories of his exemplary life are the subject of on-going conversations; calls are coming in from across the nation, report the owner of the pizzeria where he was a helper. Ayshawn is being “honored” in the same way great leaders are. And indeed he was.
On September 13, Ayshawn, 11, was killed in a drive-by shooting as his parents sat helpless nearby.
Below is the pivotal news story of September, 2019 about a child named Ayshawn, a smart, polite boy with a bright future, and no hint of an eclipse. We urge you to check out the Spectrum video interview with the then fifth grader on You Tube a year ago. You will be moved to action wherever you are. And there children nearby.
You will be moved to tears by the greatness America wishes to become, some which was forever lost on
Sunday, September 13.

Spectrum News-September 4, 2019
-by Jackson Wang

Troy, NY…. Ayshawn Davis is eager for work. So determined, in fact, that the 10-year-old refused to take no as an answer when he walked into Jimmy’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Troy this week. “You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it,” Davis said.
Owner Tony Buchanan told Davis he was too young. Plus, Buchanan was already paying someone else to clean the room. Davis countered with this: “I told him two was better than one,” Davis said. “So I said, ‘all right, buddy, you got me there. You can help her out a little bit,’ “Buchanan said. Just like that, Davis was put to work sweeping the floor, cleaning windows, and he even helps take orders when it’s busy. Buchanan pays him a few bucks, in addition to the tips Davis earns from customers. “As a 10-year-old, he’s got that motivation. You don’t want him to lose it,” Buchanan said.
Davis is motivated because he’s thinking about the future: saving money for a car, a phone, and a home. He says he wants to use half of his future house for the homeless. “It’s not fair that people like them have to sleep on the streets and we live in homes,” Davis said.
Of course, at 10 years old, Davis still has to attend school. He’s made a deal with Buchanan that as long as he keeps his education a top priority, there will always be a few things for him to do around the pizzeria. “If he’s this motivated at 10 years old, who knows what he’ll be able to do at 14, 15, 16 years old?” Buchanan said.

Sunday, September 20, 2020
Ayshawn’s grandmother Youlanda Kurz tells a reporter, “I don’t get no more hugs. No more grandma hugs, you know?”
An investigation into Ayshawn’s death is on-going by Troy PD and the FBI. Anyone with any information concerning this case is asked to contact the Troy Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 518-270-4427 or a local FBI office. Tips also can be submitted online at troypd.org. Also, the Times Union reports that the FBI is promoting the search for the killers with two electronic billboards on I-90 and I-787 bearing information about the reward as part of the continuing investigation.

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