Knox-Gates Shooting

A little more than a month after four young men were shot outside of Tracey Towers (two suspects from across Mosholu Parkway in the Knox-Gates neighborhood were arrested for the crime), a 38-year-old man was shot in the chest in the woods near the Knox-Gates playground.

Police say there is no connection between the two incidents.

At around 10:40 p.m. last Friday, police responded to shots fired in the Knox-Gates area. A group of residents had congregated near a wooded area across from Mosholu Parkway North. When police arrived, the group pointed into the woods, where the shots had come from and a group of men were seen fleeing.

Police found the victim lying there with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was taken to St. Barnabas and deemed to be in critical condition. It now looks like he will recover.

No suspects have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing, police say. Since the shooting incident at Tracey, police say they are keeping extra tabs on both Tracey and the Knox-Gates area.

Insult to Injury

Just after midnight last Wednesday, police responded to reports of shots fired inside a Norwood apartment building. Outside of the building at 3070 Hull Ave., a man told police that his friend had just been shot up on the second floor.

When the cops entered the apartment, they found a man shot in his left thigh and right ankle after an apparent home invasion. They also found an impressive amount of marijuana lying in plain view.

With paramedics on their way, police secured a search warrant for the apartment. They found 16 bags of pot, two air pistols, 66 bullets and $4,275 in cash. After being treated, the man was arrested.

Police say the shooting was probably the result of an attempt to steal the man’s drugs and/or money.

Stealing More Than a Subway Ride

When transit cops busted four young men for jumping the turnstiles at the Bedford Park D-train station, they discovered that one of them was carrying a black handgun.

A recent string of robberies in the Bedford Park area were reportedly carried out by perpetrators, usually a group of at least two, using a black handgun. The transit cops put two and two together and called in investigators from the 52nd Precinct. Detectives there linked the gun with five of the eight local robberies that appeared to be connected.

Two of the four turnstile hoppers, Edwin Hernandez, 23, of 2730 University Ave. and Samuel Espinal, 20, of 1159 Sacket Ave., were arrested and charged with five robbery counts and criminal gun possession.

Argument Leads to Bedford Park Shooting

A domestic dispute snowballed into a shooting two weeks ago in Bedford Park.

Two teenagers hanging out outside of an apartment building on East 203rd Street and Valentine Avenue began yelling at a man who was embroiled in a heated domestic argument in an upper-floor apartment.

The man told the two young men to mind their own business, which led to an exchange of words. Soon, the man in the apartment charged down to the entrance of the building to confront the loitering teenagers. One of the youngsters pulled out a gun and shot the man in the arm.

The victim managed to escape back into the building and call 911. The next day police arrested Victor Marquez, 18, who lives on East 203rd Street and the Grand Concourse.

Fireman Injured in Creston Fire

On June 7, a fireman from Engine 48 injured his right shoulder battling a blaze on Creston Avenue.

Two Impact Zone officers on foot patrol noticed flames and smoke coming from a building at 2608 Creston Ave. The Fire Department was alerted and quickly doused the flames.

Police say the fire was "non-suspicious" and that it was probably caused by a gas leak.

North Fordham Robberies

There have been three robberies in the North Fordham area over the past two weeks that may be connected, but police said they hadn’t identified a trend as of yet.

Last Sunday night, a man was stabbed and robbed on Valentine Avenue and East 194th Street. Two suspects, described as Hispanic men in their 20s, approached the 29-year-old victim. One stabbed him in the back, while another hit him with a gun. They stole his necklace and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Two other robberies occurred, one on Valentine and 197th and the other on 196th between Briggs Avenue and Valentine Avenue. Police say they are looking into the incidents.

Ed. note: The items in Police Report are based on 52nd Precinct crime reports, from reports e-mailed to the media by Police Department headquarters, and other official documentation such as press releases from the district attorney’s office. It is important to keep in mind that all those arrested are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.