Murder Charges for Norwood Man

By DAVID CRUZ

Bad blood and jealousy ended with the death of one man and the arrest of another for his murder. Police said Dwayne Saunders, 37, of Queens, was fatally struck by two bullets as he ran for his life along East 209th Street and Perry Avenue on May 1. Detectives 52nd Precinct and Bronx Homicide Task Force arrested Tyrone Frank, 33, on June 7, more than a month after police distributed wanted fliers alleging he fatally shot Saunders. Police said the shooting was sparked when Frank ran into Saunders hanging out in a playground with Saunders’ current girlfriend and

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of Bronx news to spread around. We’ve packed 12 pages of original reporting by our talented rotation of reporters we hope you’ll find insightful. For now, let’s begin with page one and a long-awaited project. That project falls in the heart of Norwood, Williamsbridge Oval Park. It’s there where a ceremonial groundbreaking of the highly anticipated skate park took place to the pride of many stakeholders involved. Read the city Parks Commissioner’s comments on this latest project. Read also why some will view this project as

By DAVID GREENE

For the third time in six weeks, a life was cut short in Norwood, leaving grief-stricken family to plan for a funeral as detectives at the 52nd Precinct hunt for a killer. It’s the precinct’s third homicide this year, surpassing last year’s total homicide rate at the Five-Two. According to police, more than a dozen teens were holding a pre-summer barbecue at just after midnight on May 29, in the courtyard of a building along DeKalb Avenue and East 212th Street, when a fight broke out and a knife was plunged into the chest of 18-year-old Damion C. Gilbert, Jr. of Williamsbridge. Unlike the

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering Bronx communities, is out this week! Check out these stories put together by our dedicated interns and freelancers aiming to get the conversation going across the Bronx. Our page one story focuses on the perennial issue in the Bronx–barbecuing at areas that bar the practice. Community Board 7 is once again getting ahead of the issue and is pressuring the Parks Department to have those “No Barbecue” signs where they’re supposed to be. Read mixed feelings behind this issue. Behind the cover story is another parks-related story, this time focusing

Two men are wanted for a violent break-in at a home on Marion Avenue in Bedford Park. Police say the incident happened around 2 p.m. on May 20, when the men disguised as UPS employees, knocked on an apartment door, forcing their way into the home and tying up two people with zip-ties. The perpetrators then attacked someone in the home, stabbing them in the right thigh with a knife and demanding money. The attackers then fled the apartment with a bookbag filled $16,000 in cash, according to police. Police describe the first alleged perpetrator as Hispanic, 20 to 24 years

Crime File: Robberies in Norwood and Kingsbridge

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

Attempted Theft Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a man who tried to steal a man’s wallet in a Kingsbridge Heights bodega. Police say it happened at 111 E. Kingsbridge Rd. on April 30 just after 10 p.m. Video surveillance the would-be thief standing at the front of the store ready to buy something, when the would-be thief lunges for the man’s wallet, and immediately taking off. The would-be victim chased him out the store. The wallet was soon recovered. The suspect is described as black, tall, last seen wearing a white hoodie with a black cap.

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering Bronx communities, is out this week! Check out these stories put together by our dedicated interns and freelancers that can get the conversation going across the Bronx. We begin, of course, with page one! The uncommon fatal shootings of two people in the Norwood section of the Bronx prompted it to be our front page. Read the story of 37-year-old Dwayne Saunders, shot to death in broad daylight. Read what the local commander for the 52nd Precinct has to say about these rarer homicides in Norwood. Other stories include the

By MARIYA MOSELEY

Amidst the fraught race relations between communities of color and law enforcement, one organization is working to improve that bond and the lives of teenagers of color. The United Chaplains State of New York Athletic League (UCSNY) is a community group geared towards empowering youth. The organization is not only comprised of chaplains, but also members from the NYPD, FDNY and EMT. Within UCSNY, more than 200 students from around the city take part in a comprehensive sports program, mentorship and interactive workshops. Lesly Roscha, 16, a student coming from Staten Island, said her two-hour commute to the UCSNY’s gym

An Enigma of a Parking Spot Surfaces at Tracey Towers

By DAVID CRUZ

The local 52nd Precinct and city Transportation Department both say they’re not responsible for vehicles inexplicably parking at a triangle just across from Tracey Towers. It’s a trend that confounded Sallie Caldwell, who’s lived at the enormous towers for nearly 50 years. It’s also a new trend as far as she’s concerned. The spot—found at a busy intersection of West Mosholu Parkway South edging Jerome Avenue–sits dozens of feet across the Norwood towers, where Caldwell’s a resident. An ever-vigilant resident, Caldwell has noticed vehicles have brazenly parked there overnight, narrowing the space for other vehicles looking to turn either into