A dollar-van driver was brazenly fatally shot when another dollar van rolled up beside him and someone fired a bullet at him in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
Police said the victim, Johanci Chapman, 24, was stationed at 837 Utica Avenue in East Flatbush when the other dollar van approached him and someone inside opened fire around 12:55 p.m.
The suspect van then drove south on Utica Avenue and continued to flee eastbound on Snyder Avenue, police said. It was still in the wind later Sunday.
A dollar-van driver was shot and killed by someone in another dollar van on Utica Avenue in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, on Sunday afternoon. Gregory P. Mango
Police officers investigating the scene of the shooting on Jan. 12, 2025. Gregory P. Mango
A bullet hole seen in the window of the van. Gregory P. Mango
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was listed in critical condition before being declared dead, sources said.
A witness told The Post that the victim’s van collided head on with a Kia sedan during the shooting, with the driver of the smaller vehicle leaving unharmed in the chaotic aftermath.
But a nearby shop owner said he can’t get more details on what happened from locals because, “Everyone is saying that they didn’t see anything”
A customer added, “See nothing, say nothing if you want to live — that’s how it is.”
Officials could not immediately say whether any passengers were on board either van when the incident occurred.
Victim Johanci Chapman, 24, was brought to a hospital and later declared dead. Gregory P. Mango
The suspect fled the scene and is still at large, police said. Gregory P. MangoDiscount shuttle vans, known as dollar vans, are a mainstay of transportation in New York City, first surfacing during the 1980 transit strike.
Although they’ve fizzled out of popular use since then, the vans remain an important lifeline for poorer commuters in Brooklyn and Queens, typically charging local commuters $2 to $3 to get rides around town.
