A Hempstead man associated with the Bloods gang was convicted of murder in a 2019 drive-by shooting that took the life of 36-year-old Paul LaRue, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
Taiquan Cullum, who also goes by “Tay Tay,” was convicted on Thurs., June 26, of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession.
The trial began on June 9 and Cullum is due back for sentencing on Aug. 25. According to the DA, he faces a potential maximum of 40 years to life in prison.
Donnelly said that on July 28, 2019, Cullum was at D’Ambiance bar in Baldwin and was shot at seven times by Jermaine Grant because of a perceived dispute between Cullum and an acquaintances of Grant.
After the attempt on his life, Cullum went to Hempstead to retrieve a gun and picked up co-defendant Deion Barros to assist him in finding the individual who shot at him, the DA said.
Cullum and Barros drove around Hempstead and came across Paul LaRue, a friend of Grant who was also at the bar during the attempted murder but not involved in the shooting. LaRue was sitting in his car stopped at a red light at the intersection of Clinton Street and Fulton Avenue, according to Donnelly.
Cullum and Barros pulled alongside LaRue’s Mercedes-Benz and Barros allegedly opened fire approximately three times, killing LaRue, Donnelly said.
She said Cullum and Barros then drove off.
Grant was subsequently arrested for the attempted murder of Cullum later that morning, Donnelly said.
He was found guilty after a trial before Judge Helene Gugerty on Oct. 27, 2022, of second-degree attempted murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was sentenced on Dec. 2, 2022, to 20 years in prison.
Cullum was arrested at the Otisville Correctional Facility in Orange County on Aug. 22, 2023, Donnelly said.
The case against Barros is pending, according to the DA.
