On Wednesday, March 17, at approximately 3.03 p.m., police responded to a 911 call regarding an aided infant inside 1069 Gerard Avenue in the Concourse section of the Bronx, in the 44th precinct.

 

Upon arrival, officers observed a 1-month-old baby girl, unconscious and unresponsive, with no obvious signs of trauma observed. EMS responded to the location, and transported the aided infant to BronxCare Health System, where she was pronounced deceased. Police reported that the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

 

The infant has been identified as Hanniel Darkwah of 1068 Gerard Avenue, in the Bronx.

Following news of the baby’s death, City Councilman of the 14th city council district, and Bronx borough president candidate, Fernando Cabrera, called for a prayer vigil to be held with Reverend Oswald Denis on Friday, March 19, 2021 at 6:30 p.m., at the location of the incident, mentioning in the press release that the infant had been found dead with skull fractures.

Speaking at the event, Cabrera said, “Our hearts are breaking. The death of a child is especially tragic, and deeply affects not only the family, but the entire community.” He added, “As a father, grandfather, pastor and mental health professional this is very real for me, and I understand and recognize the need for mourning, and support, as we all seek solace in this tragedy. Our collective prayers are part of the healing process, and I offer mine for the family, and the community as we share in the loss of this child.

Norwood News reached out to the NYPD to clarify if Cabrera’s comments regarding a fractured skull were accurate. A police spokesperson confirmed, by phone, on Friday, March 19, that two fractures to the skull had been identified and that the death was being treated as suspicious. There are no arrests at this time, and the officer we spoke with said nobody had been taken in for questioning to his knowledge. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information with regard to 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 CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips.

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.