Deaths
South Bronx: Street Co-Naming Held in Honor of Venancio “Benny” Catala Jr.
Family and friends of the late Venacio “Benny” Catala Jr., joined together at 166th Street and Teller Avenue just east of Morrisania on Saturday, July 29, as Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson and District 16 City Council Member Althea Stevens hosted a street co-naming ceremony to honor the popular community leader for what was described as his decades of public service and community leadership.
UPDATE Friends Honor Man Who Died after Being Held in Police Custody
More than two dozen friends of Justin “Gusto” Gidora, 36, gathered at Indian Field in Van Cortlandt Park just after sunset on Saturday, July 22, to remember a good-natured and apparently troubled, young man who died under mysterious circumstances after being held in police custody, as previously reported.
UPDATE Mt. Hope: Three Arrested following Fatal Shooting of One & Injury to Three Others
Rikers Closure Campaigners React to Death of Curtis Davis “7th Person to Die in NYC Jails in 2023”
Campaigners to close Rikers Island shared their reaction to news of the latest announced death at the jail. NYC Department of Correction officials said Curtis Davis, age 44, a detainee at Rikers Island jail, was found unresponsive in his cell in the George R. Vierno Center (GRVC) at approximately 5 a.m. on Sunday, July 23, as reported on Sunday by the NY Daily News.
Vigil to be held for Woodlawn Man who Died after Being Held in Police Custody
Officials have remained tight-lipped after a beloved Woodlawn Heights native died at Lincoln Hospital on July 14 after being held in police custody. Friends of Justin “Gusto” Gidora, 35, are expected to gather on Saturday night, July 22, in Van Cortlandt Park for a candlelight vigil in memory of the young man.
Summer of Violence Continues as Gun Free Zone Law Introduced in Memory of Angellyh Yambo
The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.
Despite marking the month of June with the usual events aimed at curbing the gun violence that continues to plague The Bronx, the last day of Gun Violence Awareness Month was marred by the violent shooting of a 5-year-old girl in Olinville, followed by a spate of 16 shootings over the Fourth of July weekend. What followed was possibly even worse when four people, including two children under the age of 7, were gunned down in broad daylight by two masked scooter drivers beside St. James Park in Fordham Manor on July 11, shocking local residents.
UPDATE FDNY Called to Tracey Towers for Electrical Incident
Highbridge: NYPD Launches Murder Investigation after Norwood Man Dies in Apparent Bludgeoning
A 33-year-old resident of Norwood has been murdered in the Highbridge section of The Bronx, police said. NYPD officials said that on Thursday, June 22, at around 9.03 p.m., cops responded to a 911 call for an aided male/calls for help inside 1165 Shakespeare Avenue in Highbridge. “Upon arrival, officers observed a 33-year-old male in a semi-conscious state within the fifth-floor hallway, with a sustained lactation under his chin,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “EMS responded to the location and transported the aided male to NYC Health & Hospitals/Lincoln, where he was pronounced deceased on Sunday, June 25, 2023.”