Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 22 Years to Life in Prison for Fatal Ambush Shooting of Innocent Teenager

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 12, 2026

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 22 Years to Life in Prison for
Fatal Ambush Shooting of Innocent Teenager

Defendant Shot Victim from Behind as He Tried to Escape

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Bedford-Stuyvesant man has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for the shooting death of an 18-year-old boy who was lured to East New York, ambushed and shot from behind by the defendant as he tried to escape.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "Today's sentence holds Ricardo Dash accountable for the cold-blooded execution of an unarmed teenager. Shaheem Bascom was lured into a deadly trap and shot in the back while trying to escape in a cowardly act of senseless violence. This lengthy prison term ensures a dangerous individual is off our streets, and our hearts remain with Shaheem's family and loved ones."
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Ricardo Dash, 25, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 22 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Hecht. The defendant was convicted of second-degree murder on December 10, 2025, following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on the evening of May 10, 2021, the victim, Shaheem Bascom, 18, was engaged in Facebook Messenger text conversations with a 16-year-old girl he knew, who lured him to meet her at a location in East New York, in the vicinity of 965 Hegeman Avenue. The 16-year-old and the defendant, along with some co-defendants, members of the 8 Trey Crips gang, then headed to that location, with a plan to beat up and rob the victim, who was affiliated with the rival Folk Nation gang.

Once they got to Hegeman Avenue, according to trial testimony, the group split up. The 16-year-old and a woman, Sarina Davis, now 29, walked toward the meeting place address, while the defendant and a co-defendant, Deshawn Holder, now 25, and another individual walked across the street from them in the same direction.

After the 16-year-old and Davis began walking with the victim, the defendant and the others began following as they walked on Hegeman Avenue, according to the evidence. When they crossed Essex Street, Holder punched the victim, who then ran. The defendant, according to the evidence, chased the victim, pointed his gun, and shot multiple times, striking him in his back. The victim later died of his injuries.

Following the murder, the defendant made multiple Facebook posts mocking the murder. He fled Brooklyn and was arrested by the NYPD and U.S. Marshals in Henry County, Georgia in December 2021, after seven months on the lam.

Deshawn Holder pleaded guilty to second-degree gang assault and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison and five years of post-release supervision. Sarina Davis pleaded guilty in July 2025 to second-degree attempted gang assault and was sentenced to six months in jail and five years of post-release supervision. The 16-year-old's case was transferred to Family Court. Another suspect remains unapprehended.

The District Attorney thanked KCDA Detective Investigators, the Digital Evidence Lab, and Homicide Paralegal Sarah-Jane Quashie for their assistance on the case.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Steven Bravo, of the District Attorney's Homicide Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Gabriella DiCapri, of the District Attorney's Red Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Homicide Bureau Chief.

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