
They crossed paths when they were only teens. The grin on Mr. Henderson’s face grabbed Ms. Henderson’s attention when they were on a date with one of his friends.
As of next month, Richard and Jakeba Henderson will have been married for 20 years, and as of March, they will have been together for 30.
Tragically, 45-year-old Mr. Henderson—a grandpa to two young girls and father of three—was shot and killed on Sunday in Brooklyn as he intervened in a dispute between two train passengers about the volume of music playing in the vehicle, according to the police.
In a phone chat, Ms. Henderson revealed that her husband, Mr. Henderson, was a crossing guard at a Manhattan private school. When the incident occurred, he was returning from watching football with friends and riding the train back to Crown Heights. Police responded to a 911 call at around 8:15 p.m. According to the police, he was shot three stops from his station on Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville.
Mr. Henderson was taken to a local hospital after being shot in the back and shoulder; unfortunately, he was later declared dead upon arrival.
The case has not resulted in any arrests.
According to the authorities, it is unclear whether the shooter intended to shoot Mr. Henderson or the passenger with whom he was fighting.
It was the most recent setback for the city’s essential subway system, which has had a rough start to 2024. Two train derailments have occurred so far this year, with one of them injuring 26 people and severely disrupting service for days.
While the number of gunshots in the city did rise at the pandemic’s peak, it has since declined. There were over 1,100 shootings in 2023, down around 400 from the previous year.
For families like the Hendersons, whose lives were changed in the split second it took to shoot a pistol on Sunday night, those numbers don’t mean much. Mr. Henderson’s wife and two small granddaughters are among his surviving relatives. He is also survived by three children: Richard Jr., Lavina, and Janaya.