Glad to play a role in telling this story.
Pulling back the curtain a bit, we learned of Mr. Pierce's death while tracking the murder rate in the 73 Pct. I noticed the PD stats showed more murders this year than the ones publicized, and asked what was missing.
www.nydailynews.com/2024/06/23/b...
My colleagues Colin and Ellen got the story the rest of the way there, and found his family and pics.
I often talk about how local news matters, but I doubt Mr. Pierce's story gets told if the NY Daily News and the @nydnunion.bsky.social weren't around to care about every murder victim in NYC.
Great work, John! This is a sad and very important story.
It's very early yet. But, do you/your colleagues have any sense yet if there might be energy around pursuing an arrest?
Honestly, it’s hard to know at this point. Maybe the coverage will get things moving. Our last update from the NYPD said there wasn’t even a suspect description, but they tend not to share much in cases like this unless they want to.
<> It's the type of thing that might unfold over time. A follow-up story in the next couple of months might nudge things along too.
It's big that the coroner's office made that ruling. It seems like it has to be addressed at some point.
