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Suspect nabbed in NYC smoke shop slay accused in another murder hours earlier: cops
The suspected gunman in the cold-blooded killing at a Harlem smoke shop was arrested Tuesday, accused of murdering another victim hours earlier and ID’d as having shot at cops two years ago.
Messiah Nantwi, 21 — who was last arrested in 2021 for shooting at three Bronx officers, prompting the cops to return fire and gravely wound him — was tracked down through a CrimeStoppers tip and busted for the deadly Sunday encounter inside the smoke shop on Malcolm X Boulevard near West 125th Street, authorities said.
The victim — Brandon Brunson, 36, of Elton Street in Brooklyn — was shot in the head in a chilling caught-on-video attack after an exchange of words with Nantwi minutes before 8 p.m., according to the NYPD and chilling video obtained by The Post.
It does not appear that Nantwi knew Brunson before the gun-down, cops said.
In the footage, the shooter and victim appear to be arguing for several seconds in front of a group of other men milling about the store.
As Brunson then turned and walked toward the door, Nantwi pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot him in the back of the head, according to cops and the footage.
Brunson collapsed but still seemed be moving or trying to get up.
Nantwi stalked over, pointed the handgun at him one last time and pulled the trigger, sending one more round into Brunson’s back, according to police and video.
The suspect then casually left the store.
Brunson was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities have charged Nantwi with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
But police then also linked Nantwi to a second shooting the day before, about a half-mile away, on Madison Avenue and East 132nd Street.
Around 4:40 p.m. Saturday, Nantwi fatally shot Jaylen Duncan, 19, in the head, police said.
Authorities rushed Duncan to Harlem Hospital, but doctors declared him dead.
The motive for that slaying was unclear, also — although as with Brunson, Nantwi did not appear to know Duncan before the slaying, police said.
Nantwi was charged with murder in that case as well, cops said.
Nantwi was last arrested Feb. 21, 2021, for firing at an NYPD sergeant and two officers who tried to arrest him and an accomplice for spray-painting graffiti in the Bronx, authorities said.
The two uniformed cops stopped the scofflaws at Elton Avenue and East 153rd Street after they spotted the men with cans of spray paint.
Nantwi’s accomplice took off, leaving his friend to deal with the cops.
Nantwi fought back during his attempted arrest, pulling a .22 caliber handgun and firing three times at NYPD Sgt. Darren Earl and Officers Malik Underwood and Erick Reyes, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office said in a release.
“It was at this time that all three officers engaged the man, returning fire — striking him numerous times,” then-NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said at the time.
The DA’s office said the cops shot back 31 times, hitting Nantwi.
The officers were not hurt, but Nantwi was taken to Lincoln Medical Center with critical injuries.
Nantwi recovered and was charged with three counts of attempted murder on a police officer, cops said.
He pleaded not guilty at his March 8, 2021 arraignment, records show.
Records show he was initially ordered held without bail in connection to that case, but a judge later held him on $500,000 bail.
The judge eventually knocked bail down to $300,000, and his family posted the required 10 percent, or $30,000, to free him, sources said.
Nantwi had no criminal history before the police shooting, sources said.
