QUEENS, NY – Sean Brown, a 21-year-old resident of Jamaica, Queens, has been sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison for his role in the death of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin in 2019 and for a separate weapon possession charge. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the sentencing, emphasizing the ongoing struggle against gang violence and the illegal possession of firearms in the community.
Griffin, mistaken for a rival gang member, was fatally shot by Brown while playing basketball at the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica. Brown, identified as a member of the Money World gang, admitted to firing three shots from a .380-caliber handgun, one of which tragically ended Griffin’s life.
Brown’s sentencing by Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder includes 25 years for manslaughter in the first degree, a concurrent term of five to 15 years for conspiracy in the second degree, and five years for criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, with the manslaughter and weapon sentences to run consecutively.
This case is part of a broader crackdown on gang violence in Queens, highlighted by a massive 151-count indictment in March 2023 that charged 33 reputed gang members with various crimes, including murder and conspiracy. The indictment followed a series of violent clashes between the Money World gang and rival factions, which escalated after Griffin’s death, leading to more than 22 shootings and another fatality.