A press conference was held on Monday night in Fordham Heights and was attended by Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, District 14 City Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez, Hernández, and other members of the NYPD from the 46th precinct.

 

“The preliminary investigation reveals that there are two groups of men having a dispute on the south side of 188th Street, between Creston and the Grand Concourse,” Hernández said. “At some point, multiple guns are pointed to each other with one gun, we verified, as firing shots down towards the Grand Concourse, striking our victim.”

 

WATCH as @NYPDPC and NYPD executives provide an update into tonight’s shooting in the confines of @NYPD46Pct. pic.twitter.com/tXp0GMSl6L

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 5, 2022

The deputy chief said the information provided about the incident was preliminary in nature and appealed to the public for help with the investigation. He said scores of detectives from the 46th precinct, Bronx homicide and resources had been deployed throughout the borough. “We’ll be here during the night, back tomorrow, canvassing for witnesses, physical evidence and video evidence as well,” he said.

 

Hernández said police had already secured some video and some ballistic evidence already from the scene but detectives are looking for more. In response to a question about what the victim was doing at the time she was shot, Hernández said, “We’re confident this is a tragic incident. This person was just walking down the street. She had no involvement in this dispute whatsoever – a complete innocent bystander.”

Another reporter cited some residents with whom he had spoken who reportedly said of the incident, “They took somebody’s life but what are we going to do? This is New York City and this is what’s going on here.” The reporter asked Sewell what she would say to people of the same mindset. The commissioner responded, saying, “Well, I don’t subscribe to ‘This is New York and this is the way that it is.’ It’s not. We’re doing everything we possibly can and what we know how to do well to prevent and deter this violence and to apprehend the offender so I don’t subscribe to [that]. That’s unacceptable to me.”

 

On Friday, police confirmed, pursuant to an ongoing investigation, that Donald Johnson, 20, of Creston Avenue in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx, was arrested and has been charged with murder (2nd degree), manslaughter (1st degree) and criminal possession of weapon. They said Rakell Hampton, Johnson’s brother, a Blood gangs member, 33, also of Creston Avenue in the Bronx, was also arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of weapon.

 

The victim was identified as Juana Esperanza Soriano De-Perdomo of East 145th Street in the South Bronx. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation but police confirmed that it is believed that narcotics were involved, and that the dispute which arose involved some street vendors and blood gang members.

 

Year-to-date shooting incidents in the 46th precinct have risen by 100 percent (8) versus the same period last year (4), while year-to-date shooting victims in the 46th precinct have also risen by 100 percent (8) versus the same period last year (4).

 

In January, as reported, Mayor Eric Adams held a gun violence roundtable with the City’s District Attorneys, and received written support from 200 business leaders following the publication of his blue print to end gun violence. Meanwhile, the Bronx Defenders and others issued a cool response to the blue print. The group favors more funding for social services in order to address the root causes of violence.

 

Adams, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, the NYPD, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, the City’s five district attorneys’ offices, and several City agency partners, community-based organizations and foundations relaunched the citywide “Saturday Night Lights” program on Saturday, March 26, at P.S. / I.S. 224, located at 345 Brook Avenue in Mott Haven.

 

Last year, the program was launched with the groups working together to open 100 gyms across the City for free, high-quality sports programs for kids on Saturday nights, ensuring no indoor gyms are closed on these nights – the time when they are needed most by kids in City communities. Click on the following link to watch a video extract of the Saturday Night Lights Relaunch, where Adams can be seen observing some of the kids in action.

 

 

As also reported, the mayor joined a vigil in January in Bedford Park following the tragic shooting of a then 11-month-old infant baby girl who was shot in the face, also a tragic victim of gun crossfire, while sitting in a car with her mother. The mayor was back in the Bronx the following day after the vigil to hold a roundtable meeting with various cure violence groups and interested parties.

 

On Feb. 3, during a visit to New York City, U.S. President Joe Biden joined Adams, Sewell, Gov. Kathy Hochul and a host of other elected officials and the NYPD to agree on a national strategy to curb gun violence, including gun trafficking and the elimination of the proliferation of ghost guns, firearms which can be ordered in parts and assembled at home.

 

Sewell confirmed that the 46th precinct, in which the shooting occurred, does have a “neighborhood safety team” in place, as well as “supplemental deployment.” She said, “So, we’re putting additional resources in this area as well.” Asked what assurances she could provide to New Yorkers regarding their safety while walking down the street, Sewell reiterated the point about the deployment of supplemental resources and added, “We are absolutely focused on curbing the violence in this City and apprehending the offenders who commit it.”

Our Officers stood shoulder to shoulder with community members, Cure Violence Group leaders and elected officials yesterday to denounce gun violence in our community.

We will not stand for violence in our neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/zEY8dD2aYp

— NYPD 46th Precinct (@NYPD46Pct) April 7, 2022

As reported, three teenagers, two 16-year-old girls and one 17-year-old boy, were shot in a school area of Mott Haven on Friday afternoon, April 8. One of the two girls has died from her injuries. She had been shot in the chest. The other two were reportedly in a stable condition on Friday.

 

A vigil was held later last week in honor of the victim.

It’s was important for me on behalf of @mayorsCAU @NYCMayor to attend the vigil held for Ms. Juana Soriano De Perdomo… pic.twitter.com/sOI3Vk7unq

— Alina Dowe,MBA (@AlinaDowe1) April 6, 2022

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

 

Watch live as @NYPDPC and NYPD executives provide an update on an investigation in the Bronx https://t.co/tWtO0wCfB2

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 8, 2022

 

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 WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips.