Hempstead Man Pleads Guilty To 2021 Shooting Murder: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Hempstead man pleaded guilty to murder for the shooting death of a man in 2021, prosecutors announced.

Ryan Hamilton, 24, pleaded guilty on Thursday to second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

"This defendant brutally gunned down Trendabi Reid during an altercation at a backyard gathering in Hempstead,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. "Gun violence continues to plague our communities, but NCDA remains committed to removing dangerous criminals from our streets and ensuring they are held accountable for their crimes."

According to the charges, Hamilton was socializing was several others on May 7, 2021 at a Hempstead home and he had a firearm that he was cleaning.

When Reid, 25, arrived at the home, he and another person started arguing about a debt, Donnelly said. The fight escalated and the pair began pushing and shoving one another.

Hamilton, who had not been involved in the altercation, approached the victim, and fired a single round from a .9mm firearm, striking Reid in the face and causing his death. Hamilton then fled the yard, Donnelly said.

The firearm was recovered later that evening in a vacant lot approximately two blocks away from where the incident took place, the D.A. said.

Hamilton is due back in court on March 18, where he is expected to be sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, prosecutors said.