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Murder in Oval Park

A local man was shot dead two weeks ago inside of Williamsbridge Oval Park, apparently after a dispute involving an iPhone.

Police identified the victim as Diego Sinchi, a 28-year-old Hispanic male, of 345 E. 209th St., which is just two blocks from the park. At about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 15, Sinchi was found shot multiple times in the torso. He was later pronounced dead on arrival at Montefiore Medical Center.

Blood from the shooting was still visible on Friday morning as family members lit candles at a makeshift vigil inside the north entrance to the park, where the murder occurred.

Sinchi was allegedly involved in a dispute over an iPhone with an unidentified male just after dark. Police said the dispute, which became physical, ended in gunfire, according to Resso Santiago, a local resident who spoke to NYPD detectives who were investigating the murder early Friday morning.

“My son has an iPhone,” said Santiago. “I don’t want him to get killed over his phone. I cannot feel safe with my family around here any longer.”

As park crews began covering the bloody cobblestones with mulch in Oval Park Friday morning, family members had already began gathering around a vigil of candles and prayer cards.

Outside the family home shortly before Sinchi’s funeral on July 18, one family member, who declined to give her name, said, “He was a very good man, very quiet and peaceful.” Family members said Sinchi had been a painter in Manhattan.

“He was a good guy,” said Corey Marquisano, who lives in Sinchi’s building. “It’s sad that the people who [probably] did it still live around here. You can’t replace a life.”

It was the first murder in Williamsbridge Oval Park since 2002, when a city bus driver was bludgeoned to death with a tree branch.

A week after the murder, the group Friends of Oval Park held a meeting near where the murder took place. The murder was one of several topics of conversation. “It’s sad and scary,” said one Friend. “I hope it doesn’t discourage people from coming to the park or have a negative effect on building projects in the park. I’m scared. I won’t walk my dog in the park at night anymore.”

Another Friend suggested an increased police presence, while another wanted cameras installed around the park.

No arrests have been made in the case, but police say the investigation is ongoing.

Police are offering a standing $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a perpetrator in any violent crime. Anyone with any information on Sinchi’s killing can call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS. All calls are confidential.

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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