Police said they have arrested a 21-year-old man following the fatal shooting of a 71-year-old woman and injury to a second woman in Mott Haven on Sept. 14.

 

As reported, police said that on Thursday, Sept. 14, at around 12.37 p.m. officers from the 40th Precinct responded to a 911 call regarding two people who had been shot at 512 East 138th Street.

 

“Upon arrival, officers observed a 34-year-old female with a gunshot wound to the arm, and a 71-year-old female was observed with a gunshot wound to her back,” a spokesperson said. “EMS responded and transported both individuals to NYC Health and Hospital/Lincoln where the 34-year-old individual was listed in stable condition and the 71-year-old female was pronounced deceased.”

 

Police said there were initially no arrests. The deceased was identified as Enriqueta Rivera of East 137th Street in Mott Haven.

 

Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, police said on Monday, Sept. 18, that Joshua Evans from Mott Haven was arrested on Monday at around 8 a.m. in The Bronx.

 

They said he was charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon (a loaded firearm).

 

During a press conference held at One Police Plaza on Monday, Police Commissioner Edward Caban confirmed the arrest, describing the incident as a gang-related shooting. “Two innocent bystanders were shot in that incident and 71-year-old woman was killed.” he said.

 

“The suspect, whose intended targets were members of a rival gang, were quickly identified by patrol officers in the 40 Precinct through video footage and still photos, and early this morning, less than 96 hours after the shooting, an arrest was made,” the police commissioner added. “As the criminal justice system takes its course, the message from our police department is clear. If you carry an illegal firearm, if you recklessly pull the trigger, if you harm anyone in our city, the NYPD will find you, we will arrest you, and you will be held accountable.”

 

Caban concluded, “Gang violence or any type of violence for that matter will never be tolerated. Our cops will never stop fighting for people we serve, and I want to commend all the investigators and our partners in the regional fugitive taskforce for their fast, effective work in this case.”

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

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 CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.