A Long Island man was convicted Tuesday of murdering a man with whom he often clashed outside a Long Beach housing complex, authorities said.
Ronnie Sutton, 52, was found guilty of second-degree murder for fatally shooting Shawn Usher, 33, on April 7, 2023, at the Channel Park Homes, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced Wednesday.
Sutton’s sentencing hearing was scheduled for Oct. 3; he faces up to 40 years to life in prison.
Sutton and Usher were both frequently seen at the housing complex about 7 miles southeast of Kennedy Airport, according to authorities, adding the pair often argued and fought.
Around 10:30 p.m. on the day of the slaying, the two men began quarreling again, police said. Instead of brushing it off as they’d done in the past, Sutton pulled out a gun and shot Usher six times, then pistol-whipped him, cops said.
“Ronnie Sutton had every opportunity to walk away from an argument he had with Shawn Usher, but instead he chose to escalate the situation into a brutal attack,” Donnelly said in a statement. “His cold-blooded behavior shows a complete disregard for human life.”
Sutton ditched the gun in a bush near the scene, where it was located shortly afterward by Long Beach police. He was arrested less than two weeks after the murder and has been behind bars ever since.
“He’s going to spend the rest of his life in jail. His kids, they’re going to grow up without a father. My nephews are going to grow up without a father,” Usher’s aunt, Marcia Gray, said after Sutton’s arrest. “Only thing is they can go visit him. I have to go visit mine in the grave.”
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