A visiting rapper was gunned down inside a Bronx pharmacy after a robbery turned deadly, prosecutors said.
Bronx, NY – A Bronx man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Los Angeles-based rapper during a robbery in Crotona in 2022.
Isiah Garrett, 27, was sentenced Tuesday by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Alvin Yearwood in the killing of Avanti Frowner, also known as “Vontae,” who was in New York for a performance at the time of the attack.
District Attorney Darcel D. Clark described the violence as both targeted and reckless. “The victim, Avanti Frowner, known as ‘Vontae,’ was in New York and needed medication at a pharmacy,” Clark said. “As he left the pharmacy, he and his friend were robbed of jewelry, and then the defendant forced Frowner back into the store at gunpoint and fired a dozen times, killing him. He callously murdered Frowner and put everyone in the pharmacy and on the street at risk.”
Robbery escalated into deadly shooting inside pharmacy
The shooting occurred on June 9, 2022, at approximately 1:40 p.m. outside the Amazing Pharmacy on East Tremont Avenue. Investigators said Garrett and his co-conspirators approached Frowner and his friend and carried out a robbery before escalating the violence.
Key Points
- Bronx man sentenced to 20 years to life for 2022 murder of LA rapper
- Victim Avanti Frowner was shot multiple times inside Crotona pharmacy
- Co-defendant pleaded guilty to manslaughter and faces sentencing in May
According to prosecutors, Garrett forced Frowner back into the pharmacy at gunpoint, where he and others beat the victim as he lay on the floor. Garrett then shot Frowner multiple times in the torso.
Frowner was transported to a hospital but later died from his injuries.
Arrests and co-defendant cases
Following the killing, Garrett and two co-conspirators fled New York and were later located in Warrenton, Georgia. “The defendant and two of his co-conspirators fled to Warrenton, GA, where they were arrested on June 22, 2022,” Clark said.
Garrett pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on March 3. Co-defendant Nayshon White, 28, also entered a guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter and is scheduled to be sentenced May 29 to 20 years in prison. Two additional co-defendants still have pending cases.
The case was prosecuted by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from NYPD detectives and law enforcement in Georgia.
