An up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper has lost his life following a heated dispute, just as his career was beginning to gain traction.
Jamel Davis, 43, better known as Sinthoro, was reportedly shot and killed by his 16-year-old stepson, Tristan Hightower, on April 12 at the Walt Whitman Houses in Fort Greene, according to The New York Post.
Authorities say the situation started after the teen’s mother—who is three months pregnant—sent him a message asking him not to smoke marijuana inside the apartment due to concerns about her unborn child.
That issue had allegedly been building tension within the home.
Things eventually escalated into a verbal altercation, with Davis stepping in. Police say the teen then went into his bedroom, grabbed a gun from a shoebox, and fired—hitting Davis once in the chest and once in the arm.
Davis was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he later passed away.
His music had begun to pick up real momentum, especially with his track “Slide” gaining spins on local hip-hop stations and even reportedly showing up in an Instagram Reel by 50 Cent.
“It’s heartbreaking for the community because we were all behind him, and just when his moment finally came, it was cut short,” Davis’ friend Anthony Mabry shared with the New York Daily News. “He is 43, and people were doubting him, saying, ‘Pass the mic!’ But he stayed consistent. And he was just starting to enjoy the breakthrough — and now it’s gone.”
Tristan Hightower was taken into custody in the Bronx on Tuesday morning and reportedly looked “very disheveled, like he’s been out on the street since the incident,” according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny in a statement to The Post.
Authorities revealed the teen had two previous domestic incident reports involving his mother in 2025, including one where she told police he had access to a firearm believed to be the same weapon used in the shooting. Kenny added that it was unclear if Hightower had the weapon on him at the time of his arrest, noting officers required a warrant to search his backpack.
Hightower now faces charges of murder and criminal possession of a loaded firearm, with the court set to decide whether he will be tried as an adult or a juvenile.
Mabry also spoke on the painful timing of Davis’ passing, saying, “He was doing the music so long, and they just put his music on the radio. He was grinding all of his life … God finally gave him his blessing within the month of this happening.”
