Michael Malik Evans, 54, was found fatally shot in the early morning of November 26, 2018, on East Suffolk Avenue near Church Street in Central Islip, New York. Evans, who was homeless and also used the name Malik, was discovered dead and the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad opened an investigation.

An arrest followed within days: on December 3, 2018, 47-year-old Enrique Vega Junior of Bay Shore was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Prosecutors said the killing stemmed from an alleged drug debt and presented surveillance video showing Vega firing six shots at Evans in the street. The trial began July 9, 2019, and a jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts on July 12, 2019.

A Suffolk County judge sentenced Enrique Vega Junior on August 29, 2019, to an aggregate term that included 25 years to life for the murder charge plus consecutive time for the weapon and drug convictions, for a total of 50 years to life. Does anyone have information about Evans’ life in Central Islip or who might have known him in 2018?