A family in mourning compares the tragic loss of their 24-year-old son, who was fatally shot outside a Queens deli, to the devastation of a “nuclear weapon” striking their lives. This tragedy comes seven years after the young man’s mother succumbed to cancer, leaving him to face his teenage years without her guidance.
Lawrence Turner became the victim of a fatal shooting following a dispute outside the MB Convenience Deli & Grill, located on Beach 14th St. near New Haven Ave. in Far Rockaway, at approximately 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday. Authorities identified him as the city’s latest homicide victim of 2025.
“It’s as if 2025 delivered a devastating blow to our family before it ended,” expressed Dawn Edwards, Lawrence’s aunt, in an interview with the Daily News. “We’re all trying to gather the fragments and understand the reasons behind this tragedy.”
Turner, a resident of Brownsville, Brooklyn, spent his childhood in Far Rockaway as the youngest among five siblings, which included a brother and two sisters, according to his family.
After sustaining gunshot wounds to his back and arm, Turner managed to reach St. John’s Episcopal Hospital on his own, which is located less than half a mile from where the incident occurred.
“He was brought into this world at St. John’s Hospital, and it is there that his life ended,” shared Nicole Boney, who was Turner’s godmother.
Turner had no criminal history in the city, police said. His killer has not been caught.
Tragedy befell Turner’s family in 2018, when his mother succumbed to cancer.
“He took it extremely hard,” Edwards said. “He was the baby. He was trying hard to find his way and get his footing after his mom died.”
With his mother gone, Turner was raised in large part by his eldest sister, his aunt said.
“I don’t think anyone is more shattered (than her). Everybody’s broken, but she is just. … She’s not speaking much,” Edwards said of that sister.
Another sister shared her grief in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
“God why would you take my mom and my baby brother,” that sister posted.
Instead of breaking the young man’s spirit, his mother’s death inspired Turner to share his story with the world — a dream cut short by his killer’s bullets, his godmother said.
“He was passionate about writing, and he wanted to write a book about his life one day, especially after his mom passed,” said Boney. “He was really passionate about writing about how things went for him after her death, and how his life went, and just to write about his life story.”
A portly baby, Turner’s infant chubbiness earned him an enduring nickname, his aunt explained
“We called him Buddha, and it just stuck,” said Edwards. “‘Cause he was like the Buddha, a big chunky baby, round, big cheeks.
As their youngest uncle, Turner’s nieces and nephews worshiped him.
“Everything is ‘Uncle Buddha, Uncle Buddha!’ He’s their world and vice versa,” said Edwards. “Their children are his children. He was so close with his nephews and nieces. I’m going through my own thing, but my heart bleeds for them.”
“(The shooter) just took it all away,” she added. “It feels like this family can’t catch a break.”
Turner played basketball and boxed at a community center in Far Rockaway, according to his godmother.
“He used to talk about wanting to be a boxer,” said Boney.
Boney last saw her godson at a birthday party her family threw for her in November.
“Thank God I was able to see him,” she said. “Everybody is very distraught. He was the one to call and connect everyone. He kept the family together since his mom passed.”
The victim was the last of four people murdered in Far Rockaway’s 101st Precinct in 2025 — the same number as were killed in 2024. Citywide, homicides were down 20% in 2025 compared with the year before.
The precinct saw 13 people shot in 2025 through Dec. 28, compared with 18 by that point last year, a 28% drop.
The suspect in Turner’s slaying is described as Hispanic and was wearing a black bubble jacket, gray jeans and black-and-white Air Jordans.
