A jury has found a Bronx man guilty in the murder a rival drug dealer in front of daycare center in Crotona Park two years ago.

“As a unanimous jury found, Ruben Pizzaro shot and killed David Rivera in broad daylight in front of a daycare center in the Bronx,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said in a statement.

Rivera, 24, was gunned down in front of the daycare center near 175th Street and Crotona Avenue on Nov. 24, 2015.

Pizzaro, known by associates as “Chullo,” was a member of a street gang that sold cocaine and crack cocaine near 180th Street and Arthur Avenue near Belmont, according to authorities.

Pizzaro’s gang was engaged in a turf war with Rivera’s between August 2015 and January 2016, leading to several violent shootings in late 2015. One of those gunfights was in the vicinity of a Bronx middle school. Another was for a non-fatal shooting in Manhattan’s 34th Precinct on New Year’s Eve 2015.

A tip received by the 46 Precinct Detective Squad led to Pizzaro’s arrest at 3015 Kingsbridge Terrace. Pizzaro attempted to dodge police from a second-story window but was eventually caught.

On top of his murder charge, Pizzaro, 25, faced a litany of other charges, including drug dealing and weapons possession. He faces the possibility of life in prison when sentenced.

“The prosecution of this type of gang and drug violence helps make our communities safer, and we are committed to that,” Kim said.

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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.