Screenshot courtesy of NYC Mayor’s Office via YouTube
The City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) told Norwood News the agency is investigating with the NYPD the case of 22-year-old Bronx mom, Dimone Fleming, who was arrested in November for allegedly killing her two infant sons at a homeless shelter in the Mt. Hope section of The Bronx. The news comes amid a media report that there was possibly a previous case of alleged abuse involving Fleming and her child, and as the mayor rolled out the City’s latest efforts to address the mental health needs of undomiciled New Yorkers.
As reported, the two infants died, having been stabbed multiple times on Saturday, Nov. 27, following an apparent domestic incident at a family shelter located at 246 Echo Place in Mt Hope. The two children were found in the bathtub underneath some clothing. They have since been identified as Octavius Fleming-Canada, an 11-month-old baby boy of 246 Echo Place, and his 3-year-old brother, Dashawn Fleming, of the same address.
Following the tragedy, on Sunday, Nov. 28, Norwood News interviewed and reported on the experiences of two former residents of the Mt. Hope shelter. Both said there was room for improvement in terms of support at the shelter for residents. The organization running the shelter is called Services for the Underserved (S:US). One former, female resident of the building who declined to be identified, said, “Yeah, I lived there for a year, and some change. To my knowledge, I think the building was open for a few years already. I know it’s a new residence, but I’m not sure how long it’s been open.”
The woman added, “My experience at this location was bad. I was in the SUS Program for about two years in total. That’s the shelter program, they have another location that’s related to domestic violence. This (Echo Place location) is just a family shelter.” The woman continued, “Very, very bad transition to permanent housing… it’s a really, really unprofessional place.”
She continued, “That place almost got set on fire last year as well. Somebody upstairs almost set their apartment on fire. I don’t know if it was intentional. They were leaving and their kitchen almost went up in flames.” Asked if the shelter provided any services to families on site, she said, “You know I got some referrals when I was at the domestic violence location. The family shelter….very poor communications, very unprofessional. The staff, they’re in and out. The turnover with the staff in there is insane.”
Asked if she had seen on TV about the incident involving the children, she said, “Yeah. I know the family. I don’t know them very well, but I feel really bad for them in that situation. That woman really should have gotten help. I don’t believe that she was given the help she needed. I feel real, real bad for that woman and her family. It’s a two-parent household. I believe that was the kid’s dad (who found the children) the little kids’ dad.”
She added, “I don’t know what was going on behind closed doors, her and him. I never saw any signs of domestic violence or anything like that. The dude was always with his kids. The woman was with the kids for the most part. Whatever was going on behind closed doors, she didn’t get the help she needed in that facility, and I’m pretty sure she was there for a while.”
Photo by David Greene
We also spoke to a second former female resident of the building who also declined to be identified, and who said she did not know the impacted family involved in the tragedy. Asked about her experience at the shelter, she said, “It’s half residential, half New York City shelter…..a lot of inconsistencies, a lot of not helping like they should, as far as the shelter system. It’s a pretty clean place to live. That’s about it.”
Asked if she was shocked by the news, she said, “Very much so; it’s normally a quiet building.” According to its website, S:US is a nonprofit located at 463 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan and “envisions a city where everyone has a roof over their head, is healthy, productive and can enjoy the social connections that create a life of purpose.”
Founded in 1978, S:US has a staff of 1,800 that provides $245 million in services, and works with over 37,000 individuals and their families every year “to create pathways to rich and productive lives by offering housing, employment, skills-building, treatment, and recovery services.”
Norwood News contacted S:US for comment on what the former residents said about the shelter. Alexis Geslani, marketing communications director at S:US, responded, saying, “We are devastated by this tragedy. Our hearts go out to the family involved and all of our affected residents. Due to the ongoing police investigation, we are unable to comment further.”
S:US did, however, provide some clarification on some of the comments made by the former shelter residents. A representative clarified that S:US has operated the shelter since it opened in November 2020. The representative also clarified that S:US operates the shelter in its entirety, but works in coordination with the New York City Department of Homeless Services.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 29, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other City agency representatives, where the mayor discussed the City’s latest holistic, long-term and more coordinated approach to the mental health needs of undomiciled New Yorkers, a reporter asked the mayor about mental health support for those living in shelters, like Dimone Fleming.
The reporter asked about a previous incident that had reportedly been investigated where Fleming had allegedly abused one of her sons but did not provide further details. The NY Post had reported that Fleming was allegedly investigated by ACS after DeShawn was born, according to sources, who said she was suspected of improperly caring for the boy.
During the press conference, the reporter asked Adams if the previous unspecified abuse incident had been investigated by ACS, and if it had, had the system failed and if so, what was the City doing to correct the situation. Adams responded, saying, “Well, we can’t go into a case that’s handled by ACS. By law, we’re not allowed to do that. The goal is to bring the team together. We’ve had a disjointed team. We will have a outreach worker or a police officer that observes someone that fits the criteria, and they would bring them to the hospital. We’ll give them medication for one day, put them back into the streets until we do this recycling, until something happens that they do something that’s extremely harmful to themselves or others.”
NEW YORK CITY Mayor Eric Adams (front row, brown suit) joins City agency officials at a press conference on Nov. 29, 2022 to discuss the City’s latest approach to addressing the mental health needs of undomiciled New Yorkers.
Video courtesy of NYC Mayor’s Office via YouTube
He added, “We are moving from that. We want to hand off to continuous care. We want to do a real evaluation at the hospital. Not only what happens after you give them that medication, but how are they doing follow up services? We have to close that gap. In cases such as the unfortunate incident where we lost two children, ACS is doing a deep dive into that to find out what happened there.”
The mayor continued, “I don’t know of a job that’s more challenging than what ACS goes through. Some reports come out that they’re trying to take children away from families. Another report comes out that they’re not doing enough. That’s a tough call, and they’re trying to have the right balance. I commend that entire team for what they’re doing. I think those are professionals that are dealing with the challenges of keeping families together but protecting children, and I think they do a good job every day carrying that out.”
Norwood News also contacted ACS directly about the case and the allegations regarding an alleged prior abuse incident involving Fleming. ACS is prohibited by law from sharing case information. An ACS spokesperson responded, making reference to the mayor’s prior remarks at the press conference and added, “The safety and well-being of New York City’s children is our top priority. We are investigating this case with the NYPD.”
Dimone Fleming was taken into custody after the incident on Saturday evening, as reported. Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, police said on Sunday, Nov. 28, that she was arrested on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. in the 46th Precinct.
She was charged with two counts of murder of multiple victims, two counts of intention to commit murder, and two counts of murder: depraved indifference to a person less than 11-years-old, according to police. Fleming had been taken to St. Barnabas Hospital on Saturday evening after the incident occurred for a psychological evaluation.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing. A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
Photo by David Greene
On Nov. 22, as reported, the City Council passed two new bills to support survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, ushering in the City’s annual, “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign,” which kicked off on Nov. 25 (International Day to End Violence Against Women) and ends on Dec. 10 (Human Rights Day).
New York State’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7 and is available in most languages. Call (800) 942-6906, text (844) 997-2121 or chat at @opdv.ny.gov. Individuals also can visit www.ovs.ny.gov/connect to find a victim assistance program in their community.
The Office of Victim Services funds and supports more than 200 programs that provide direct services for victims and survivors of crime and their families, including therapy, support groups, case management, civil legal assistance, accompaniment to court, and transportation, among other assistance.
Local services for those affected by domestic or gender-based violence are also available in The Bronx. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or gender-based violence, call 311 and ask to be connected to a NYC Family Justice Center or walk-in Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call the NYC 24/7 Domestic Violence Hotline on 1-800-621-4673, or visit the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence for more information.
If you are in immediate danger, if you can, dial 911.
Photo by David Greene
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 CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.
All calls are strictly confidential.
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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.
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