Photo by Síle Moloney
Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man in the Fieldston section of The Bronx on Wednesday morning, May 13. They said the murder took place at the 242nd Street-Van Cortlandt Park subway station, which serves the 1 train, just north of Kingsbridge. The site is the same location as where a double shooting took place in January of this year, during which 44-year-old Keon Gill was fatally shot, and an unnamed 35-year-old man was also shot and hospitalized.
In relation to the latest murder on May 13, police said that at around 3.06 a.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a 911 call regarding an assault at the station.
Source: NYPD / Compstat
“Upon arrival, officers observed an unidentified adult male lying on the floor unconscious and unresponsive,” a police spokesperson said. “EMS responded and transported the male to NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced deceased.
They said a person of interest was taken into custody and the investigation remains ongoing.” Police later said the murder took place in an out-of-service 1 train inside the station.
Photo by Síle Moloney
They said the identification of the deceased was pending family notification. They said Keith Plummer, 68, of Queens was arrested in the confines of the 50th Precinct, which covers Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Marble Hill, and Spuyten Duyvil, at 4.45 p.m. on Wednesday, and was charged with manslaughter.
Norwood News spoke to a number of local people in the area on Thursday evening, May 16. One man said he had seen police officers enter the station in the early hours of Wednesday morning but didn’t know what had happened. The remains of police tape were seen on the handle of one of the station doors on Thursday, May 16, where the crime scene had presumably been cordoned off the previous day.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Norwood News reached out to the MTA to ask for comment on whether out-of-service trains are checked by MTA employees when they reach the last station (242nd Street-Van Cortlandt Park is the last stop on the 1 train) and if that’s how the incident came to light. We were referred back to the NYPD.
Meanwhile, court records show that a detective stated that on or about May 13, at around 3 a.m. in the vicinity of Broadway and 242nd Street, Plummer committed manslaughter “while acting with intent to cause serious physical injury” to the victim.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Based on video surveillance, witnesses statements, and the defendant’s statements, Plummer straddled Cranston Smith, the victim, punched him multiple times, and grabbed him around his neck applying pressure and causing his death. Plummer is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
In relation to the January murder, police said Pernell Warren, 37, of Bedford Park was arrested on Feb. 1 and was charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon. On March 3, as reported, police said Naya Brown, a 26-year-old woman (no address provided) was also arrested in connection with that same January shooting incident and was charged with murder the same day.
Photo by Síle Moloney
In a separate police report, the NYPD disclosed that an off-duty, 26-year-old, NYC Department of Education employee had been arrested and charged with murder on March 3 and they named Brown as the employee. On April 8, as reported, police said a third person, Daniel Ligon, 39, of Middletown, NY was also arrested and charged the same day in connection with the same January shooting incident.
Ligon was charged with murder. All three are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law. Norwood News has asked the NYPD if the latest murder on May 13 is being investigated in the context of the previous shooting in January or separately. We were informed that it was being investigated separately.
Year-to-date murders in the 50th Precinct, where both murders took place, were up 300% as of May 10, with four murders recorded as of that date, compared to one during the same timeframe in 2025.
Image courtesy of Google Maps
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.
All calls are strictly confidential.
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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.