Two Under Arrest for Shooting Death of Bedford Park Man

By BOB KAPPSTATTER

Two men were under arrest in the shooting death of a 27-year-old Bedford Park man after detectives tracked them down through video security cameras, police said.

Israel Lagares became the fifth homicide victim in the 52nd Precinct so far this year after he was fatally shot twice in the chest shortly after 10 p.m. on Aug. 16 in front of 2734 Bainbridge Ave., just blocks from his home. He was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital.

After an investigation that a police source said involved scouring through a number of video security cameras in the area, detectives arrested Lucas Chajecki, 23, of Fordham, and Gary Ortiz, 31, of Kingsbridge, on Aug. 31 and charged both with murder. The pair is being held at Rikers Island.

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the murder, said the source.

“Both suspects and the victim have criminal records, and the two suspects belong to a local drug crew,” they said.

Another source who knew Ortiz said Ortiz was spotted driving “nice cars.”

First, a brand new white Land Rover and now a black (Dodge) Charger,” said the source who knew Ortiz.

Detectives searching local exterior video security cameras observed the two suspects getting both out and back in a car on the block at the time of the shooting, the source said, that had previously been circling it a number of times, “like they were casing it.”

The Five-Two has seen a small drop in major crime, with 1158 reported crimes this year compared to 1163 the same time last year, according to NYPD stats. There have now been six reported murders falling within the 52nd Precinct, which covers Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham, and University Heights.

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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.