Yusuf Hawkins was a Black teen who was attacked by a white group of teens, one of who shot him. A man, who was amongst those accused in the well-known 1989 killing, was fired from a New York hip-hop radio station after a new documentary brought the murder case renewed attention.
What We Know:
- Pasquale Raucci had been working at Hot 97 since 1994 doing mostly behind-the-scenes roles and was known under Paddy Duke. The station stated that over the weekend that Raucci has been fired following a commotion from spectators of the documentary Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn. This film, directed by Muta’Ali, debuted on HBO earlier this month.
- Hot 97 was in disbelief and took rapid action, posting on Twitter that the station no longer employs Paddy Duke.
- Hawkins (16), at the time, went to a neighborhood located in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, with some friends to go look at a car when out of nowhere, he was attacked by a crowd of white teens, one of them being who shot and killed him.
- Some of the young men were charged, including Joseph Fama, who was accused of being the person who shot Hawkins and was convicted of murder. Raucci, although the last to go through trial, was free in 1991 of the most severe accusations. As stated by The New York Times, Raucci was sentenced to probation and community service for using a bat as a weapon.
- Comments made on Monday during “The Ebro in the Morning”, Ebro Darden and co-hosts spoke on the criticism, saying that people at the radio station had no clue of Raucci’s participation in the Hawkins’ case.
- Prior to his work at the station, Raucci was in a music video for previous Hot 97 host Angie Martinez and worked as a producer.
The Times mentioned that Raucci has refused to speak on the situation.
