Brooklyn man receives 40-year sentence for fatal shooting outside Red Hook Houses

March 8, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

The Red Hook Houses. Eagle file photo by Paul Frangipane

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Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Raymond Rodriguez sentenced David Gorham, 32, of Red Hook, to 40 years to life in prison for the 2020 murder of Elvin Fernandez.

The attack occurred on June 1, 2020, when Gorham, after spotting Fernandez in a car, ambushed him and his pregnant girlfriend outside a candy store, firing the fatal shot. Fernandez, 27, tragically died three weeks after being shot in the head outside the Red Hook Houses, a time during which he was anticipating the birth of his first child.

Gorham’s conviction on December 6, 2023, came after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

“The life of Elvin Fernandez, a young man expecting the birth of his first child, was cruelly and senselessly cut short when the defendant shot and killed him in cold blood,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “My heart goes out to Mr. Fernandez’s family and friends, who hopefully find a measure of solace with today’s lengthy sentence.”

Following the shooting, Gorham attempted to evade capture by changing clothes and fleeing the scene, but was apprehended by police on June 18, 2020. Fernandez was hospitalized at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Brooklyn Methodist in critical condition until his death on June 24, 2020.

The investigation revealed a feud between a friend of Gorham and Fernandez’s girlfriend as a potential motive for the attack.