BROOKLYN, NY – A Fort Greene man will spend at least the next 25 years behind bars for fatally shooting a young father outside a baby shower at a Prospect Heights church, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said 34-year-old Daquan Carter was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the March 2019 killing of 26-year-old Courtney Tingle. Carter was convicted in November of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial.
According to the evidence presented in court, what began as an accidental bump inside the church annex spiraled into a deadly confrontation. Prosecutors said Tingle accidentally brushed against a woman during the event, sparking a verbal dispute involving Carter and his cousins. The group then lured Tingle outside, where he was assaulted by two men before Carter drew a gun and fired four shots as the victim lay defenseless against a parked car.
The shooting, which took place in front of a large crowd that included children, left Tingle mortally wounded. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later died.
Defendant fled state before arrest months later
Carter fled the scene and left New York but was eventually captured in November 2019. Investigators said he initially gave false statements that were later disproved by eyewitnesses, surveillance video, and digital evidence.
District Attorney Gonzalez called the shooting a senseless act of violence, noting that Brooklyn has seen significant reductions in gun violence since the crime, but his office remains committed to holding offenders accountable.
Key facts:
- Daquan Carter, 34, of Fort Greene, sentenced to 25 years to life for 2019 murder
- Victim Courtney Tingle, 26, was shot outside a Prospect Heights baby shower
- Dispute began after accidental bump inside church annex escalated into deadly attack
