Tamik was born in Brooklyn, New York, but he and his two brothers were raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, by a single mother and an incarcerated father.  As a free man, he held jobs, attended college courses, and started a few small businesses.  He also was no angel and had a few brushes with the law, including a possession of a firearm conviction, for which he was serving a two-and-a-half to four-year sentence. He held jobs and attended college courses.

 

 During his incarceration, he focused on completing correctional programs and taking additional college courses.  With his release just months away, he had already secured employment on the outside and was working hard to rebuild his life.  His family was proud of his progress, and his young daughter was excited that her father was about to come home.

 

 Then one phone call changed everything.

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THE SHOOTING OF TAMIK'S MOTHER 

 

     On April 23, 2011, Tamik called home to wish his mother a happy birthday.  Instead, he learned she was in the hospital suffering from gunshots.  Gunfire erupted as she and a friend pulled into her driveway after a birthday celebration.  Both women were struck.  Emotionally shattered and concerned about his mother, Tamik left the minimum-security facility he was held in and returned home.

 

On April 30, 2011, a customer was killed and a barber wounded inside a barbershop.  Authorities immediately focused on Tamik as the prime suspect, claiming retaliation for the attack on his mother, despite the lack of evidence that he knew the victims or that they had any connection to his mother's attack.  Nevertheless, he was arrested and convicted of those crimes.

 

IMPROPER IDENTIFICATION PROCEDURES 

 

    The ONLY EYEWITNESS described the shooter as a Black male with cornrows.  The police then showed him eight photographs.  Only one man wore cornrows, Tamik.  The police used an old photo of Tamik, from back when he wore cornrows.  The witness admitted that after going through the process of elimination he finally selected Tamik's photo, who he noticed was the only person wearing cornrows. SEE PHOTO ARRAYS.

 

PERJURED TESTIMONY OF STATE'S WITNESSES 

 

     Two police officers and a civilian witness testified that they saw Tamik with cornrows from around the time of the barbershop shooting up until the police bought him to the hospital after they shot him.

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EVIDENCE HIDDEN FROM THE JURY

 

     April 2011 photos of Tamik, taken DAYS BEFORE THE SHOOTING (bold), shows Tamik with a short, closely cropped-to-the-head haircut (a ceaser with waves) which was way too short to be braided in any manner.  Tamik fought hard to show those photos to the jury and his right to do so was violated, by his own lawyers and the court. SEE APRIL 10TH PHOTOS.  SEE APRIL 22ND PHOTOS.

 

     ONE QUESTION REMAINS

 

          • If photographs taken days before the shooting shows that Tamik's hair COULD NOT HAVE BEEN CORNROWED at the time of the shooting, and he did not match the eyewitness's description...

 

              Why were those photographs NEVER shown to the jury??? 

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PROSECUTOR'S IMPROPER CLOSING ARGUMENT 

 

     After the shooting a video and mugshots were taken of Tamik in the hospital bed.  The images show him with the same short, closely cropped-to-the-head hairstyle as the other photos.  After seeing those images, the prosecutor told the jury that medical personnel had given Tamik a haircut before the mugshots were taken, despite there not being any evidence to support this claim. SEE HOSPITAL VIDEO, MAY 1ST.  SEE BOOKING PHOTOS,  MAY 6TH.

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HOSPITAL RECORDS 

 

     Tamik's medical records state that there were no injuries to his head, and there is no record of him receiving any hair removal procedures during his stay in the hospital.
 

INNOCENT MAN SERVING LIFE SENTENCE FOR A CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT 

 

     That's just some of the evidence that casts serious doubt that Tamik is the cornrowed Black male that went into the barbershop and shot those men.

 

     Click here, to view the actual police reports, witness's statements, trial transcripts, photos, videos and more, where we get into detail about what happened throughout Tamik's ordeal.  We encourage you to review the available information, examine the evidence, and come to your own conclusion.

 

     Every person deserves a fair trial, and every claim of wrongful conviction deserves to be heard.

 

     What happened to Tamik can happen to anyone, especially if there's no accountability.

 

     Stand together to demand...​​​​