Image courtesy of the Citizens’ App
Officials from the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) announced Monday, Jan. 26, that OSI has opened an investigation into the deaths of a man and woman who died seemingly from gunshot wounds in the Spuyten Duyvil section of The Bronx last Thursday, Jan. 22.
Police said that on Jan. 22 at around 7.57 a.m., officers from the 50th Precinct responded to multiple shots fired inside 2500 Johnson Avenue. “Upon arrival, officers observed a 55-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the head, a 59-year-old female with a gunshot wound to the head, and an 86-year-old female with a gunshot wound to the face,” a police spokesperson said.
Police said EMS responded to the location and pronounced the 55-year-old male and the 59-year-old female deceased on scene. “The 86-year-old female was transported by EMS to NYC Health and Hospitals/Harlem in critical condition,” the spokesperson said. “A firearm was recovered on scene. There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing.”
The victims were later identified by police as Maria Garcia, 59, of Johnson Avenue, Bronx and Mario Garcia, 55. No address was shared for Mario Garcia. NBC reported the incident as an apparent murder-suicide, citing police sources. “An off-duty Port Authority police officer shot and killed his sister and critically wounded his mother before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide inside a Bronx apartment, according to police,” an extract from the story read.
Photo by David Greene
On Monday, Jan. 26, OSI officials said that on Jan. 22, an off-duty Port Authority police officer allegedly discharged his service weapon, fatally striking his sister and critically injuring his mother in an apartment building in The Bronx. They said the officer then allegedly fatally shot himself and the officer and his sister were pronounced dead at the scene. They said police recovered two firearms at the scene.
“Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission,” OSI officials said. “Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.”
OSI officials said what they outlined were preliminary facts and were subject to change. The case continues.
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.
Additionally, OSI’s general hotline is 1-800-771-7755.
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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.