Jury selection begins in murder of 11-year-old

Jury selection began Tuesday in the Rensselaer County Court murder trial of a Cohoes man accused in the fatal 2020 drive-by shooting of 11-year-old Ayshawn Davis.

Jahquay Brown, 22, is being tried on a single count of seconddegree murder for allegedly firing a .40-caliber handgun multiple times at 11:38 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2020, into a crowd of people standing outside 2266 Old Sixth Ave. and killing Ayshawn, according to the indictment. Judge Jennifer Sober rejected defense motions in May that wanted to toss out statements Brown made to Troy detectives on Sept. 23 and 24, 2020. Sober ruled that the identification of Brown was properly conducted and also ruled that evidence seized through seven search warrants should not be suppressed.

Police seized a handgun and a vehicle when they arrested Brown at his home at 324 Saratoga St. in Cohoes.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf is prosecuting the case, while defense attorney Rob Molloy represents Brown.

The homicide of Ayshawn not only shook residents in the city of Troy but was felt across the Capital Region. The upbeat 11-year-old was known as a caring, ambitious youth who was eager to help others. He became known for working at Jimmy's Pizzeria at 475 Fifth Ave. in Lansingburgh, where owner Tony Buchanan has signs hanging in the windows in memory of Ayshawn.

The Old Sixth Avenue neighborhood where Ayshawn died is now a quiet street just north of downtown Troy. In 2015, its basketball courts were considered the turf of the Young Gunnerz gang and had become increasingly violent and the scene of drug sales. A major law enforcement operation led to the arrest of eight Young Gunnerz and 12 associates.

The city of Troy also upped police presence in the area and reconfigured the streets to make the area safer.