NEW YORK – Four people have been charged in the murder of 23-year-old Yonkers baseball prospect Michael Nolan, Acting Westchester County District Attorney James A. McCarty announced Wednesday.
Nashaun Hunter, 17, of Bruckner Ave. in the Bronx, faces a felony murder charge and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the September 18, 2015 shooting.
Garth O’Neil Cole, 22, of Mount Vernon; Darren Dawson, 18, of the Bronx and Tejmitra Singh, 23, also of the Bronx, all face one count of felony assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
“The allegations in the indictment are frightening. It’s alleged that Nashaun Hunter aided and abetted by Garth O’Neil Cole, Darren Dawson and Tejmitra Singh piled into a car and drove to a fast food restaurant at which point the car they were in slowed so that Hunter could fire six shots and kill Michael Nolan, an innocent young man with a promising future” said Acting District Attorney McCarty.
Nolan was standing in the Burger King parking lot on Central Park Avenue just after 12:30 a.m. when a white Camry rolled up and a gunman opened fire from the rear driver’s side window, striking Nolan twice in the head. Investigators determined that the shooting was in retaliation for an incident that happened during a drag race two nights earlier, in which a friend of the suspects was beaten.
Nolan was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and placed on life support. After several weeks, Nolan was brain dead and his family decided to take him off life support.
Nolan signed a minor league deal with the Oakland A’s in 2014 and was on his way to Major League Baseball when an injury sidetracked his career, sending him home to Yonkers for rehabilitation.
Police arrested the four suspects Wednesday, they’re due back in court Thursday.
Murder in the second degree carries a maximum penalty of 25 years to life. The assault and weapons charges are punishable by a maximum 25 and 15 years in prison, respectively.
