Austin Amos, 20, of Queens, New York City, New York, United States is listed by the New York City Police Department as a robbery recidivist. In February 2019, he was charged with robbery and sexual misconduct.

In July 2019, Amos was arrested for violating an order of protection and in October 2019, he was arrested for the same violation. The charges stemmed from incidents related to domestic violence. 

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In December 2019, Amos took a conditional plea that required him to undergo counseling, remedial education and probation. After he completed the requirements, the charges filed against him were reduced to disorderly conduct.

In January 2020, Amos was arrested for armed robbery. In February 2020, he was arrested for fare evasion.

At around 6:30 a.m. on August 13, 2022, Amos was in Queens with Nickolas Porter, 20, and three girls aged 16, 15 and 13. The group hailed a yellow cab driven by Kutin Gyimah, 52, of the Bronx, New York City.

When Gyimah dropped Amos, Porter and the three girls off near Beach 54th Street and Arverne Bouelvard in Queens, the group refused to pay and took off running in different directions. The taxi driver chased the group on foot and caught up to one of the girls.

While Gyimah and the girl were getting into a struggle, Amos jumped in and repeatedly punched the taxi driver. Porter and the two other girls joined Amos and they all surrounded Gyimah.

As Gyimah lay on the pavement, he was kicked and punched by Amos, Porter and the girls. When the taxi driver stood up, he was hit twice by Amos.

This caused Gyimah to collapse to the ground and hit his head on the pavement. While he was dying, Amos, Porter and the three girls escaped.

NYPD officers later found Gyimah lying on the roadway with trauma to the back of his head. The taxi driver was transported to Saint John’s Hospital in New York City, where he was pronounced dead.

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On August 14, 2022, the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers joined Gwimah’s family in a rally in Queens. They offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

On August 18, 2022, Amos and Porter turned themselves in. Amos was charged with manslaughter and gang assault while Porter and the 15-year-old girl they were with when they fatally assaulted Gwimah were both charged with gang assault and theft of services.

On August 19, 2022, the three suspects were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court. Amos was remanded without bail while Porter was ordered held on $75,000 bail.

Gwimah was a devout Christian. Originally from Ghana, he moved to the U.S. in 2007.

In 2014, Gwimah’s wife Abigal Barwuah gave birth to their first child. She gave birth to their fourth and youngest child in 2019.

Amid the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Gwimah worked for Big Apple Taxi Fleet Management. Aside from covering the funeral expenses, the owner of the taxi garage has launched a fundraiser that has collected more than $120,000 for the driver’s family.