What happened to Richard Henderson? Search for suspect underway as Brooklyn man killed breaking up subway fight

Richard Henderson, a 45-year-old man from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was fatally shot on the night of Sunday, January 14, 2024. The incident occurred on a subway train when he was trying to break up a fight over loud music between the suspect and another man.

New York Post, citing the police, reported that Henderson was on a Manhattan-bound 3 train at about 8:15 pm when he tried to de-escalate a verbal altercation between a man and the suspect arguing over loud music. As Henderson tried to break up the fight, the suspect reportedly opened fire on the train, hitting Henderson in the back and the shoulder.

Richard Henderson, who was with a friend Anthony Williams at the time of the incident, reportedly died at the scene. The suspect, who fled the scene following the shooting, is yet to be arrested.

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Richard Henderson was returning from a friend's house after watching a football game

Police are looking for a suspect responsible for the shooting death of a young Brooklyn grandfather, Richard Henderson, on Sunday night. Henderson’s friend Anthony Williams, who was with the victim at the time of the shooting, told the Post the pair were returning from another friend’s house after watching a football match.

Henderson, who, according to family members, was a diehard fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, was reportedly shot after he tried to break up a dispute between a man and the shooter who got on the train with loudspeakers playing music.

Williams said the suspect tried to shoot him in the head, but he ducked as the shooter fled from the scene. Williams told The Post:

“He shot Richie. He tried to shoot me in the head, but I ducked and he went out through the two swinging doors on Rockaway Parkway. I just let him go because he almost caught me in the head.”

Williams was reportedly with Henderson when he died before police arrived at the scene.

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Richard Henderson worked as crossing guard at a private school on the Upper West Side

Devastated family members, who described the late father of three and grandfather of two as a benevolent man who loved helping others, told the Post he had worked as a crossing guard at a private school on the Upper West Side for more than a decade.

Richard Henderson's older brother, Jermaine, seemingly stunned by his brother’s sudden violent passing, described him as a peacemaker who died while helping someone.

“He died helping someone. That’s him! He always intervened, he always wanted peace. That’s just what he did his whole life: Help people,” Jermaine continued. “We’re baffled. He was on his way home to his family.”

The victim’s oldest child, 25-year-old son Richard Jr., concurred with his uncle’s statement and told The Post his father, who lived a tranquil life, always tried to solve any disagreements peacefully.

“He just wanted to make sure people were OK around him, that there was no commotion, no beef, no problems,” “He was a peaceful man. There was never any beef between him and anybody, he got killed because he was trying to make [peace].”

As family members grapple with the loss of a loved one, police continue to search for the gunman. Anyone with information about the shooting or the suspect is urged to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).