20 year-old sentenced for shooting Schenectady man in head over marijuana

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Monday, Jevoun Drake, 20, was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the 2023 shooting death of Usman Pirzada. Prosecutors say Drake panicked when Pirzada reached for Drake’s gun as Drake tried to rob him of an undisclosed quantity of marijuana.

Impact statements from the victim’s family were intense. Pirzada’s only sister said she drove 12 hours from Michigan to address Drake in court. She made direct eye contact with the defendant calling him “just a baby”. 

On December 19, 2023, (then 19 year olds) Jevoun Drake and Jose Amey intended to rob Usman Pirzada of marijuana after Amey arranged for them to meet. Pirzada was in the backseat of a car when Amey took the drug, and Drake shot him in the head with a 9 mm Smith and Wesson hand gun.

Judge Matthew Sypniewski expressed frustration over the cycle of violence. “This isn’t the first marijuana robbery murder that’s come before this court and it’s probably not gonna be the last,” said Sypniewski. “It’s no accident, it’s no mistake, it makes perfect sense” the judge continued.

In December 2024, Drake pleaded guilty and agreed to accept a sentence of 19 years to life in prison. The defendant expressed remorse, something the district attorney said would go a long way towards his rehabilitation.

“I will live with that, my actions, for the rest of my life. I know I can never undo what I’ve done and I wish I could believe me I do I never wanted to take Usman away from you or anybody” Drake said in court.

“I think he just panicked. I think for whatever reason he armed himself to do this crime” said Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney.

The DA’s office previously stated that Drake said he panicked and pulled the trigger when Pirzada reached for the gun. Amey, who also expressed remorse, is serving a seven years in prison and five years of probation after pleading guilty to second-degree robbery.

Pirzada’s sister said he was the first in his Afghan-American family to go to college. She mentioned that their family survived a trip to Afghanistan when war re-emerged, shortly before Pirzada’s murder. The sister mentioned that Drake “doesn’t know what real war is” compared to the streets.

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