STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Tensions ran high Thursday in state Supreme Court, St. George, during a court appearance for a man charged in a 2020 murder case.
The defendant, Kyshief Campbell, 26, was arraigned in November on homicide charges, after he was tracked down by authorities in Georgia.
The deceased, Vincent Witt Jr., 20, was shot and killed just before 4 p.m. on April 14, 2020, outside 225 Park Hill Ave. in Clifton, prosecutors said.
Witt Jr.’s family said Campbell, who goes by Kaka, was acting out of revenge for a prior robbery. They claimed Witt Jr. wasn’t responsible for the robbery and was wrongly targeted by the defendant.
In the years that followed, rumors swirled in the neighborhood about the identity of the shooter, as the deceased’s father, Vincent Witt Sr., was vocal about seeking justice for his son.
The ongoing case, meanwhile, has created a rift in the neighborhood between families and friends of both young men, as was felt in the courtroom Thursday.
Campbell, who appeared sullen throughout, acknowledged his supporters seated across the gallery. Family and friends of Witt Jr. sat directly behind Campbell. Both sides exited the courtroom in an orderly fashion.
Justice Alexander B. Jeong adjourned the proceedings to Feb. 27.
Call with son ends in gunfire
Witt Sr., previously told the Advance/SILive.com that he was on the phone with his son on the day of the slaying, when he heard what sounded like a scuffle. Then the phone went dead.
He rushed to where his son’s lifeless body lay face down on the street. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” said Witt Sr.
At one point during the investigation, Witt Sr. posted on social media that he forgave Campbell, but that Campbell would now have to face God.
Witt Sr. sat feet from his son’s killer in court Thursday.