Call about a Shooting Sparks Drug Arrest in Bedford Park

By DAVID GREENE

An apparent, erroneous call placed with the emergency services about a person who was allegedly shot prompted an arrest of an individual for drug sales in Bedford Park. At about 9:15 a.m. on Friday, April 2, officers from the 52nd precinct who were responding to the report of the alleged shooting, duly arrived at 2974 Valentine Avenue in Bedford Park. A half dozen police vehicles briefly shut down Valentine Avenue, between East 201st Street and East Bedford Park Boulevard, as officers entered the five-story Valentine Avenue building. Two ambulances also responded to the call. Police later emerged from

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the individual seen in the attached surveillance photo and video who is wanted for questioning in connection to a menacing incident that occurred in the 47th precinct. On Thursday, March 18, 2021 at approximately 5.48 p.m., in front of 4766 Matilda Avenue, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, an the suspect exited a blue Nissan sedan and proceeded to engage in a verbal dispute with a 42-year-old man and a 45-year-old man. The suspect then displayed a firearm and verbally threatened the victims. He later fled on

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Friday, April 2, that a Bronx man has been indicted on a total of 66 charges – including multiple counts of attempted murder, assault and robbery charges – for viciously slashing and assaulting eight people in the Bronx. Clark said the defendant, JayQawn Byers, 22, of 4331 Byron Avenue, was arraigned on Friday on 66 counts, including seven counts of attempted murder in the second degree, 15 counts of first-degree assault, 16 counts of second-degree assault, seven counts of third-degree assault, attempted assault in the third degree, two counts of first-degree

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

As part of a new, holistic approach aimed at combatting the culture of gun violence, concentrated in a few specific blocks of the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx, the NYPD’s 52nd precinct has launched a multi-agency, community collaboration to tackle the issue. Announced by Deputy Inspector Thomas J. Alps during the Bronx Community Board 7 executive meeting on March 18, part of the initiative involves giving the area a type of physical make-over, while also partnering with City agencies and community-based organizations to address unemployment and quality of life issues that plague the neighborhood. As a first

By DAVID GREENE

One day after burying her 20-year-old daughter in Woodlawn cemetery, a Norwood mother said she has been threatened by gang members, has fled her home of ten years, along with her family, and has gone into hiding at a Bronx hotel. Cynthia Duffy, mother of Delila Vásquez, 20, confirmed her daughter died at Jacobi Medical Center just before midnight on Wednesday, March 17. As reported by Norwood News, she was discovered with a gunshot wound to her head inside a third-floor apartment at 3339 Hull Avenue, near East 209th Street in Norwood at 10:09 p.m. the same night.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Alexis Rose, a 35-year-old Bronx man, was arraigned Wednesday, March 31, in Westchester County Court for the murder, on March 5, of Shaun Hutchinson at the home of Rose’s ex-girlfriend on Warburton Avenue in Yonkers. Rose’s presence at his ex-girlfriend’s home was in violation of an order of protection issued by Yonkers City Court. He fled after shooting Hutchinson but was arrested approximately two hours later, following collaborative efforts between the Yonkers, Mount Vernon and New York Police Departments. He is charged with second degree murder, and is being held at the Westchester County Jail. Hutchinson, 41, a

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), one of 17 Bronx-wide sponsoring organizations, is inviting the public to join an All Bronx Virtual Town Hall on April 11 at 6 p.m. for a discussion on the proposed New York Health Act (A6058, S5474). The event will feature NYS Sen. Gustavo Rivera, chair of the New York State senate health committee, and NYS Assembly Member, Richard Gottfried, chair of the New York State assembly health committee. Rivera, who represents the 33rd senatorial district in the Bronx, and Gottfried, who represents the 75th assembly district in Manhattan, will explain how

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a man wanted in connection with an assault that occurred in the 52nd precinct. As previously reported by Norwood News, on March 27, 2021, at approximately 2.29 a.m., the suspect approached a 38-year-old male victim as he stood in the door of Lexa Bar, located at 357 East 204th Street. The individual proceeded to display a knife, which he used to stab the victim multiple times in his back and head. EMS responded, and transported the victim to an area hospital in stable condition. Video is attached. Pursuant

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Republican candidates for the role of mayor of New York City, Fernando Mateo and Curtis Sliwa, squared-off in the first Republican mayoral primary debate hosted by 77 WABC radio on Wednesday, March 31, at 4 p.m, at the Studio 77 event center, located at 800 Third Avenue in Manhattan. According to sources, it was the first time that the two Republican-endorsed candidates for office went head-to-head on issues of crime, police, New York City’s COVID-19 recovery, and the economy. Republican elected officials and party leaders were expected to be in attendance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfSFjAyP2vM Mateo, the second Latino to