BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, Brooklyn — “I’m okay, stink.”
That was the last text Alexis Kearse-Walker received from her husband of six years.
About 10 minutes later, 35-year-old Tyree Walker was fatally shot in the back of the head and torso in Brooklyn.
On Tuesday, December 4, NYPD responded to a call of a person shot in front of the Sumner Houses at 979 Myrtle Ave. at 10:23 p.m.
Police arrived to find the father of four young children laying near the steps of the NYCHA building suffering from a gunshot wound to his head and his body.
Walker was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
“We have no idea why this happened to Tyree,” Mrs. Kearse-Walker told PIX11 Sunday evening.
“He has never had any problems and he was not in the streets,” Kearse-Walker continued.
According to his wife, the music lover was in his third year of employment as a maintenance worker at the Gap clothing store located in Midtown.
She says Tyree also attended physical therapy sessions twice a week to heal from an arm injury sustained in an early October car accident.
“He went to therapy at 3:30 p.m. on the day of his murder,” Walker said.
“Tyree left home, very happy, around 9:50 p.m.. I checked on him around 10 o’clock, and at 10:11 p.m. he sent me a text stating that he was okay,” Alexis said.
After informing Alexis Kearse-Walker of a directive he gave to his 8-year-old son Tyler, Tyree sends a final text message stating, ” I’m ok, stink.”
Photo credit: Alexis Kearse-Walker, wife
Minutes later, the mother answered an ominous knock at her door.
Police delivered the fateful news that Tyree Walker, her best friend of 16 years, had been killed, the widow lamented.
Walker’s death followed the fatal shooting of Jahlil Grant, 21, who was found shot in the neck hours earlier just blocks away from the Sumner Houses, near Marcus Garvey Blvd and Pulaski Street, police said.
The widow and family members are asking anyone with information about Walker’s shooter to come forward to help police with their investigation.
A $1000 reward is being offered for any information that leads the the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, courtesy of the Advocates without Borders program.
Tony Herbert, founder of Advocates without Borders, held a press conference with the Walker family, calling on help from the community and elected officials.
“We must do better. I am calling on our ‘progressive’ elected officials to adopt a mandatory sentence of 10 years for anyone possessing an illegal firearm. Progress should not leave anyone behind – so are people living in low income neighborhoods across this city suffering being shot, wounded, raped and killed for going about their daily business?” Herbert stated.
NYPD Crimestoppers are also offering a $2500 reward for any information.
A gofundme page created to support the funeral costs for Walker has garnered over $4000 of the family’s $10,000 goal.
“He dropped his kids off to school every morning, and picked them up every day. It just feels weird that my best friend is not here anymore, and that I lost him to gun violence,” Mrs. Walker said Sunday evening.
“I need to find his killer(s). If anybody has seen anything that might help, please come forward,” Alexis told PIX11 news.
