Man shot to death on Queens block checked in at favorite barbershop day before

A man shot to death on a bucolic Queens block was nicknamed “Antz” because of his tendency to pop up everywhere unexpectedly, brokenhearted friends said Sunday.

Dwayne Belfield, 41, was a regular customer since childhood at Exclusive Styles barber shop on Church Ave. in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.

“He was here the day before. He would come in and check up on us,” said barber Neil Gadsby. “The barbers here knew him since he was a kid,”

“He had dreads, so he would get a low taper on the sides,” added Gadsby, 56. “It was sharp, clean. He would stay fresh.”

Gadsby explained how Belfield got his colorful nickname.

“According to him, ants be everywhere. They small, they bite hard, they be everywhere. When you think he’s not, he’s there,” Gadsby said. “He moves around a lot, checking up on friends.”

Gadsby doesn’t know what drew Belfield to Liverpool St. near Glassboro Ave. in South Jamaica, where he was shot in the chest at about 8:15 a.m. Saturday.

Video obtained by ABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News shows a dark-colored BMW slow down at the intersection as the killer unleashes a hail of bullets from the back seat before the luxury car speeds off. Belfield ran several feet before collapsing on the sidewalk.

“The details on how it happened was bizarre,” Gadsby said. “It was unbelievable. We came into work at 8 and around 8:30 people started to call real quick. News traveled quick, they were calling. We were shocked. … Reality started to kick in. It’s sad.”

Medics rushed Belfield to Jamaica Hospital, where he died a short time later. The victim was from Guyana and made a living doing body work on cars.

“He used to play drums, excellent drummer,” Gadsby said. “He would come here and would keep good energy, inspirational words, good energy. Talk about life, sports, women, not too much negativity.”

“He’s just a serious brother, quick to defend himself and others,” he added.  “He is strong, brave, always willing to defend his friends. No-nonsense man.”

On Sunday morning a little over a mile from the barber shop, a 65-year-old woman was shot in the left buttocks by a shooter who fled in a black BMW.

“It was eight shots,” a neighbor said. “They were doing this 10 in the morning in broad daylight on a Sunday morning.”

“I went over there to help her. She wasn’t bleeding — it seemed like the bullet ricocheted off her,” he added. “She was crying, and me and this other man tried helping her up. I told her she’s going to be fine, there’s no blood. But I can’t imagine the mental pain that woman was in.”

Medics rushed the victim from the scene at Foster and Brooklyn Aves. in Flatbush to Kings County Hospital after she was shot at about 10:05 a.m. She is expected to recover.

“God was covering that lady,” the neighbor said. “She had a shopping cart. She was going to the store, just going on about her business, and then that happens.”

It was not immediately clear if she was the intended target, cops said.

“There was no police here, and there’s always police here parked up on the corner,” said the neighbor. “They wouldn’t have done this if there was a cop car posted up. … Why do you all remove the police presence? Your presence alone is a deterrent.”

“It was a woman we knew,” said another neighbor on the block. “We call her mother. She lives down the block.”

There was no immediate indication the shooting that wounded the woman has any connection to Belfield’s slaying a day earlier.

No arrests have been made in either shooting.

New York City saw its fewest number of shooting victims in three decades — and the second-lowest murder rate — in the first half of 2025, NYPD officials said earlier this month.

There were 397 people shot in the first six months of the year citywide, 125 fewer victims than in the first half of last year, a 24% drop, NYPD statistics show.

There were 146 homicides citywide from January to June, 44 fewer than in the first six months of 2024 a 23% drop.

Originally Published: July 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM EDT