By JOSEPH KELLARD
Police announced the $10,000 reward at a July 13 press conference at their headquarters in Mineola in hopes that it will help them catch the killer of Tafare Berryman, 22, a varsity basketball player at C.W. Post who was shot on Long Beach Road near Henrietta Avenue. Berryman had just left a massive brawl outside La Mansion, at 3942 Long Beach Road in Island Park.
"If anyone may have been there that night and witnessed this event, we are urging them to come forward," said Detective Sgt. Dennis Barry after the press conference, which was attended by county Police Commissioner James Lawrence and Berryman's mother, Dawn Thompson.
Police said that when Berryman and his friend, Aaron Daly, 19, walked out of La Mansion, they found themselves in the midst of a large riot in the parking lot across the street, at the Island Vendors flea market. Daly was stabbed in the forehead with a broken bottle by an unknown assailant, according to police. He then got into his car with Berryman and drove north on Long Beach Road to head back to C.W. Post.
But Daly had to pull his car over near Henrietta Avenue, after blood dripped into his eyes and impaired his vision. He got out of the car, leaving the driver's-side door open, and walked around to the passenger's side as Berryman slid over into the driver's seat to take the wheel. It was then, at about 5:05 a.m., that a gray vehicle pulled up alongside and two shots rang out, one hitting Berryman in the chest, police said. The driver sped off. Both victims were eventually transported to Long Beach Hospital, where Berryman died and Daly was treated and released.
During the initial investigation, Barry said it was unknown how many people were in the gray vehicle and if they were involved in the melee outside the bar, but that police suspect that the individual who stabbed Daly may have been the person who chased his car.
Berryman, a 6-foot-7 Brooklyn native and business administration major, and Daly, a Manhattan resident, both of whom played on the C.W. Post team, were attending a party at La Mansion. Fliers advertising a party at the club had been handed out at an on-campus fashion show, and hundreds of students went to the establishment that night. At about 4:45 a.m., the party-goers were asked to leave the bar.
"We know that at the time the club let out, there may have been 300 patrons that exited the club," Barry said. "During the course of our investigation, we've been able to speak to in excess of 100 people. But we still haven't been able to speak to everybody. Our hope is that there's somebody out there that we haven't spoken to who will come forward."
Detectives said they suspect that incidents occurred inside the bar that spilled out into the parking lot. Witnesses described fists flying, bottles breaking and, ultimately, gunshots. Investigators said they recovered some of the cartridge shells in the parking lot.
"Sometimes these incidents are stare-downs and bad looks are exchanged," Barry explained, "or somebody bumps up against someone else, or they bump into each other outside, and things just escalated."
Barry added that often in police investigations, people believe information they have is insignificant. "The police should be the final judges of this," he said. "You may not think it's important, but it may prove to be something that triggers something in the investigation."
In his initial talks with people who knew Berryman, Barry said he came across no evidence that the basketball player had any problems with anyone. The detective added that everyone who knew Berryman described him as a model student-athlete, a team leader whom everyone admired and respected and who characteristically walked away from any altercation.
"If you listen to Berryman's mother, she makes a very compelling plea," Barry said. "A parent has got to empathize with a mother in that situation. We're hoping that someone will come forward and provide that critical link that we're looking for."
Detectives ask that anyone with information regarding this incident contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS.
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