White Hot 97 Exec Fired After Documentary Details His Alleged Involvement In 1989 Killing Of Black Teen
The station is facing public criticism for waiting this long to fire Raucci.
August 24, 2020 at 3:50 pm
Radio personality Pasquale Raucci, also known as Paddy Duke, has been fired from HOT97 after a documentary revealed his alleged involvement in the killing of Yusuf Hawkins, a Black teenager who was killed by a white mob in 1989.
According to Complex, the HBO documentary Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, premiered earlier this month and detailed the Bensonhurst, Brooklyn killing.
Hawkins and his friends, who traveled to Bensonhurst to scope out a 1982 Pontiac which was for sale, were misidentified by a mob of white men when they arrived in the town. The white men were looking for a Black man who they believed was dating a white woman, Complex reported.
After the group of about 30 white men surrounded Hawkins and his friends carrying baseball bats, one of them shot Hawkins. Raucci, who initially faced murder charges for his involvement, was convicted on a lesser count.
In a statement on Twitter, HOT97 condemned Raucci's alleged involvement.
"After watching HBO's Storm over Brooklyn, HOT97 was shocked and took swift action," the station stated. "Paddy Duke is no longer employed by HOT97. The march for social justice continues."
Hot 97 Fires Pasquale Raucci For Role In Murder Of Yusuf Hawkins https://t.co/QCJBW3Wv5h via @ChiRaqLeakerz
pic.twitter.com/NI7evraP3h— Paper Route TRiLL (@HellaTrill713) August 24, 2020
According to OkayPlayer, Emmis Communications hired Raucci as a producer in 1994, five years after the shooting. That was the same year in which the company bought HOT97, transforming the station to a medium for mostly hip-hop and R&B music.