By DAVID GREENE

Police have arrested three of six young men wanted in connection with the stabbing death of a man on Decatur Avenue during the overnight hours of Dec. 30.

Police say Hugo Ivan Galindo, 24, of nearby Hull Avenue, had been surrounded by the group outside 3340 Decatur Ave. at 2:45 a.m., where he was stabbed multiple times in the torso. He died a short time later at Montefiore Hospital.

Less than 24 hours later, detectives from the 52nd Precinct arrested Alexi Santiago, 21, of 323 E. Mosholu Parkway N., and charged him with gang assault in the first degree. On Jan. 5, police arrested two more local residents–Darnell Jones, 22, and Mark Montos, 21–charging both with second degree murder.

 

According to Galindo’s cousin, Francisco Lucero, “His mother and my other aunt are taking it very hard. They can’t believe it, they’re in shock.”

Police have not yet released a surveillance video that reportedly shows the six men attacking Galindo. Two suspects allegedly went through Galindo’s pockets while he lay mortally wounded outside of the Decatur Avenue building that still had a cutout of a Christmas tree hanging on the lobby door.

Galindo was a popular soccer player on the field at Williamsbridge Oval Park. One fellow player paid his respects, leaving flowers and a note on a makeshift memorial where Galindo was stabbed.

It remains unclear what sparked the suspects to attack Galindo.

“These guys should turn themselves in,” Lucero said of the suspected perpetrators. “If it wasn’t a setup, then why did they run away?”

Family members say that Galindo had nothing in his possession when they sought his belongings at the 52nd Precinct. The precinct has seen a drop in crime in 2015, though murders increased considerably when compared to 2014.

Galindo was the 12th recorded homicide victim within the 52nd Precinct in 2015, compared with just seven in 2014. The Five-Two murder numbers align with an increasing trend in the city’s total number of murders in 2015.

Police officials believe, but could not confirm, that Galindo was the 88th and final homicide in Bronx County in 2015.

Meantime, a page on GoFundMe, a crowdfunding website that raises money for causes, has been set up Galindo. The page is asking for $4,000 for Galindo’s family.

Lucero knew of the GoFundMe page for Galindo that has so far raised more than $2,500, but couldn’t say who started the page.

“You weren’t just a friend, you were a brother and an example to follow,” said one supporter.

Another wrote, “Hard to believe it, but I just have to accept the fact you’re gone.”
Editor’s Note: Police are still looking for three male Hispanic men in their 20s. Anyone with any information is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS. All calls remain confidential.