Police have shared photos and a video of a person of interest in the context of a murder invesigation after a 33-year-old man was fatally shot and a second man was also shot but survived in Fordham Manor in the early hours of Sept. 29.

 

An NYPD spokesperson said that on Sunday, Sept. 29, at around 1.07 a.m., officers from the 52nd Precinct responded to a 911 call regarding a man who had been shot at 2690 Morris Avenue.

 

“Upon arrival, officers observed a 33-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the left arm and chest,” the spokesperson said. “Police also observed a 36-year-old male with a gunshot wound to his left arm and wrist.”

 

The spokeperson continued, “EMS responded and transported the 33-year-old male to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. EMS also transported the 36-year-old male to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he remains in stable condition.”

 

Police said there are no arrests at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing. The deceased has been identified as Alvin Ortiz of Newburgh, NY.

 

The site of the shooting is on the same block where one-year-old Nicholas Feliz Dominici tragically died one year ago on Sept. 15, 2023, from an apparently accidental fentanyl poisoning incident inside the now-closed El Divino Niño daycare center, where law enforcement officials later discovered kilos of fentanyl under a trapdoor.

 

Four people, including the daycare owner, Grei Mendez, were subsequently arrested on drug trafficking and other charges following Nicholas’s death and await their fate.

THE NYPD IS appealing to the public for help identifying and locating this person who they say is sought in relation to a fatal shooting that occurred at 2190 Morris Avenue in Fordham Manor on Sept. 29, 2024. Video courtesy of the NYPD

 

One young woman who was in the area on Sunday and who we spoke to said her boyfriend told her Sunday’s shooting had taken place inside a car.

Most other residents of 2693 Morris Avenue said they did not hear the gunshots and were unaware of what had happened until they saw the police and the crime scene cordoned off later on Sunday morning. One young female resident said she heard three or four shots fired in the early hours of Sunday morning.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, pursuant to an ongoing investigation, NYPD detectives shared the attached video and photos showing a person who they say is wanted in connection to the incident.

They said the person is described as male, has a medium complexion, and was last seen wearing a black hat, a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.

 

Grei Mendez and her co-defendants, are deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Anyone with information in regard to 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.nypdonline.org/ or on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.