Police released photos Wednesday of a man wanted in connection with the slaying of an up-and-coming DJ who was gunned down after a heated argument with a rival Brooklyn dollar van driver.
Johanci Chapman, 25, was killed during the Jan. 12 clash on Utica Ave. near Linden Blvd. in East Flatbush around 12:55 p.m., cops said.
After he was shot, Chapman continued driving down Utica Ave. before crashing into a Kia sedan, police said. Medics rushed him to Kings County Hospital, but he could not be saved.
Police on the scene after a dollar van driver was fatally shot at the intersection of Linden Boulevard on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025., and then continued southbound on Utica Avenue before crashing into a white Kia Forte sedan outside of 837 Utica Avenue. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
A white dollar van was seen fleeing the scene, and investigators believe Chapman had been in an argument with the driver just moments before the gunfire, according to police sources.
Chapman, who performed under the name DJ Checkpoint, immigrated to the United States in 2022 after serving in the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, his family previously told the Daily News.
“He believed his destiny was to be a world-renowned DJ and was determined to make his way in New York City,” Chapman’s mother, Candice Charles, said at his Jan. 26 funeral. “My sweet boy, our angel, our son, the deepest love of my life. Play your music and have them dancing in heaven.”
Police released the images of the wanted man in the hope someone may recognize him. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.