Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 25

Welcome back to the Bronx News Roundup. Here are the Bronx-related stories we’re following today. This story sounds like something you’d see on TV cop show: An off-duty police officer who lives in University Heights was shot in the chest after stopping to intervene in a robbery, then ended up shooting one of the suspected robbers in the head (killing him) while bleeding from his wound.

52nd Precinct Neighborhood Crime Stats (2006-2011): Overview

In late September, the Norwood News obtained crime statistics for each of the 15 sectors (or neighborhoods) in the 52nd Precinct, which includes all of the neighborhoods that make up the Norwood News’ primary coverage area, including Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, Fordham-Bedford, University Heights and Kingsbridge Heights. In the graph below, we have aggregated all of the statistics in each neighborhood to give you a six-year sample of how crime trends compare in each neighborhood.

Norwood Church Burglarized, Sound System Stolen

Holy Natity, an Episcopal church in Norwood on Bainbridge Avenue that overcame a devastating fire in 2009, must now deal with the damage left by an invader who broke into the building and stole a sound system.

Crime Watch: Man Murdered on Decatur Ave. in Norwood

On Saturday afternoon, at about 1:30 p.m., police responded to a report of a male shot inside 3347 Decatur Ave. When they arrived, they discovered Jesus Avando, 26, with a bullet wound in his head. Avando, who lived at 3347 Decatur Ave., was pronounced dead at the scene. The Decatur building is located between East 209th Street and East Gun Hill Road.

Bronx Notes: Help Clean Tree Pits on Gun Hill Road

Local resident and tree lover Janice Flood is leading a tree pit cleaning effort on Gun Hill Road this Saturday morning, Oct. 13, and needs people to help out. The crew will be meeting at Bainbridge Avenue and Gun Hill Road at 10 a.m. and will be working until 1 p.m. If you want to join, just show up. If you need more information, call Janice at (646) 271-4310.

A Dinnertime Police Raid at Norwood Restaurant Turns Up Little

Fresh off an overnight stay in jail, the relatively new owner of Sal’s Pizza and Restaurant in Norwood said his very public arrest during dinnertime last week was based on erroneous information given to police and that he was the victim of a robbery setup. But police say they executed a valid search warrant and came away with enough evidence to charge the owner with a couple of misdemeanors and a violation.

Bronx Notes: Discussing ‘The Future of Police Relations and the Community’ at Monroe College

The Monroe College King Graduate School for Urban Studies and Applied Research presents “Crimes And The Numbers Game.” Eli Silverman, a emeritus professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the graduate center of CUNY, will be discussing the future of police relations and the community. The general public is welcomed to come and learn, participate in the discussion and debate. This discussion will take place Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m., at Monroe College King Hall, Gym 2501 Jerome Ave.

Editorial: Sector Stats are Back, But Legislation Stalls

Just before the Norwood News went to press for this issue (Oct. 4-17), we received a letter with a packet of valuable information from the New York City Police Department. Almost exactly five months after we filed a Freedom of Information Law request, the NYPD had delivered crime statistics for each of the sectors within the 52nd Precinct, which includes all of the neighborhoods in our primary coverage area — Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, as well as University and Kingsbridge Heights. That means we now have crime statistics on your specific neighborhood, not just the monolithic precinct as a whole. We will be analyzing this data and offering it to you in coming editions of the paper.

Crime Watch: Police Video of Suspected Bedford Park Cell Phone Bandit

Since Aug. 27, police say one young man has robbed seven women, between the ages of 16 and 52, of their cell phones in Bedford Park. The suspect is being described by police as black, between 20 and 25 years old, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs between 130 and 160 pounds. Police have video of the suspect (shown above) and are looking for help identifying and locating him.