A 22-year-old from Brooklyn was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Tuesday for the fatal shooting of a teenager and the injury of another during a 2020 marijuana sale that turned violent in East Flatbush. 

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Hecht handed down the sentence to Nasir Perez, which includes five years of post-release supervision, following Perez’s guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter in March.

“This defendant needlessly escalated an argument into a deadly confrontation that tragically cost a young man his life,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said after the sentencing. “The defendant’s guilty plea and today’s sentence hold him accountable for his actions.”

Perez was just 18 years old when the incident occurred on Oct. 28, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. at East 26th Street and Foster Avenue. 

According to the evidence, Perez met with three 17-year-olds to purchase marijuana. An argument broke out when Perez attempted to inspect and take the marijuana from one of the teenagers. When the teenager resisted, Perez drew a .380-caliber Taurus handgun. In response, two of the teens displayed knives and moved towards Perez, who then opened fire, striking 17-year-old Derek Tiucios in the head and chest and injuring another teen in the hand.

Tiucios was transported to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Perez was arrested on Feb. 11, 2021, and was initially charged with murder, robbery, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Perry of the Homicide Bureau and Senior Assistant District Attorney Steven Bravo of the Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Homicide Bureau Chief. Homicide Paralegal Amanda Connolly also assisted on the case.