A 45-year-old man has died following a fatal shooting (murder) in Norwood police said. The victim was later named by police as Devon Millington from the Wakefield section of The Bronx, who had previously served reduced time in prison on murder and drug-related charges.

Police said the incident occurred on Saturday April 15, at 5.47 a.m. in the vicinity of Woodlawn station, which is the last stop on the 4 subway line in The Bronx.

The previous morning, as reported, a 52-year-old man had been robbed and assaulted at Mosholu Parkway subway station, one stop before Woodlawn on the 4 line.

A police spokesperson said officers from the 52nd Precinct responded to a 911 call regarding a male who had been shot in front of 3700 Jerome Avenue.

The location is just a few hundred feet from the entrance to Woodlawn station. “Upon arrival, police discovered a 45-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the head,” the NYPD spokesperson said. “The victim was transported to Montefiore Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased,” the spokesperson added.

There are no arrests, and the investigation is ongoing. One resident said he was told by other people in the neighborhood the shooting happened on the elevated train platform of Woodlawn station and the victim was seen exiting the station by the stairs in blood-soaked clothes.

Norwood News followed up with the NYPD on Saturday to corroborate the veracity of the resident’s statement. An NYPD spokesperson responded saying, “I can’t confirm it at this time. We haven’t had any… we’re still waiting for updates, and I don’t have that detail.”

Officers and detectives were seen investigating and interviewing an MTA employee on the Woodlawn subway platform, part of which was cordoned off, on Saturday morning/afternoon.

In response to a subsequent inquiry by Norwood News, the NYPD confirmed on Sunday that Millington had two prior arrests, one for murder in the 47th Precinct, which covers the Bronx neighborhoods of Woodlawn, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Baychester, Edenwald, Olinville, Fishbay, and Woodlawn Cemetery, in October 2000, and another for burglary, also in the 47th Precinct, in 1991.

As first reported by the NY Daily News, and according to records from NYS Department of Corrections, Millington was discharged on parole on July 1, 2019, having been convicted for second-degree murder (a Class A1 felony) and for promoting prison contraband in the first degree (a Class D felony), and having served time in prison since April 18, 2002. Millington’s aggregate minimum sentence had been 18 years, 0 months, and 0 days, and his aggregate maximum sentence had been life in prison.

According to the report by the NY Daily News, “Millington was just 23 when he and two buddies went drinking and got high at the former Bill and Bob’s Sports Bar in Wakefield, the Bronx, on July 20, 2000. About 2 a.m., the trio decided to rob bartender Everard “Erik” Gerrald and fatally shot him, according to court filings.”

Norwood News spoke to one middle-aged man on the day of the fatal shooting for his reaction to what had happened. He declined to be identified and was a customer at a local garage in the area where the shooting took place. He said, “The police, ambulance, fire trucks etc etc, they come on a daily basis, every day [to JAMS homeless shelter, located close to the scene of the shooting] so you tell me, how do you control this situation?” The man said he often saw people in the past around the shelter with injuries.

Asked if he felt safe generally in the neighborhood, he said, “I don’t feel safe at all, here or anywhere. So, there’s no place in New York that you’re going to feel safe this way when the criminals are loose everywhere, the drugs are getting in the way everywhere.. passing the red light, there are too many bicycles on the street. Now, we got bicycles on the sidewalk. Have we done anything to stop this nonsense?”

Referring again to the shelter, the man continued, “I don’t know what term to use for those inmates or whatever they are.” When we described them as residents, he said in part, “No, they came from jail as far as I know, so residents or not, the thing is they are always fighting every day. They are hurt. They have bruises. They have cuts. It’s strange.” Norwood News has reached out for comment to NYC Department of Homeless Services about the man’s comments, and will update this story upon receipt of any response.

The man then went on to describe how in the past, he would have habitually gone around the corner to call 911 to warn police if he saw one of their colleagues in danger if, for example, he saw guns or weapons or car break-ins, but said he became frustrated when later police would come and ask him to testify about such incidents. He said he wasn’t specifically referring to the 52nd Precinct but to the NYPD generally.

“I was giving information just for the police,” he said. “You can take it from there. I don’t want to be in the picture. The deal is you provide information but then, it’s not enough information. They want me to come down and point out a criminal and say this is what he was doing,” he said.

We mentioned that this was likely because the police needed a witness in order to prosecute such cases. “What kind of law is this if the law has to force you to testify?” he asked. “We need you to testify. From the very beginning, I said, ‘I’m not going to testify. I’m not volunteering to be in the picture,’ but they force me. When you say from the beginning, ‘I don’t want to get involved,’ why should they insist?” he asked.

We said it was perhaps the difference between no case, a weak case and a stronger case. He added that in his view, describing the person or giving a registration number should be enough. “It shouldn’t be that way. I got a family. I don’t want to testify against anybody. Am I going to testify and put my kids in danger?” He added that at one point he had been told by police after he didn’t testify, “Next time. Don’t bother us.”

He said he said to police, “Next time, I’m not going to get involved if they’re in danger. I ain’t going to do anything because I really care about you guys so you tell me, ‘Don’t call us,’ ok, I won’t bother you no more.” He said an officer later said to him, “Oh I’m sorry.”

We also spoke to local employee, Jimi Rodriguez, who had been working in the area that morning, and asked him what he knew of the incident. He said he just heard police talking at around 11 a.m. about what had happened. “I heard that someone got shot on the platform,” he said. “They killed him and here, they found a revolver,” he added, indicating to the street.

This latest incident follows a police-involved shooting on Thursday, April 13, outside the KFC premises in Kingsbridge, also on the elevated subway tracks of the West 231st Street subway station, as reported. The aftermath of that incident can be read here.

We also spoke to some other employees in the area and asked if they felt safe generally in light of the shooting. One said, “That’s normal here.” Another added, “That’s what New York has become. It’s a reality. The more that we say, the more that we ask for, the more that we tell, the more we point, anything.. it’s not going to change what happens. We’re not a priority. It doesn’t matter.” We asked if by “we,” he meant The Bronx generally. He replied, “the community.”

Regarding the JAMS shelter next door, where the man said police were often stationed for security purposes, he said, “Look what’s happening next door to a shelter full of cops.”

He added, “This is the last stop off the train, one of the main trains of New York. There’s a park across the street, a family park, and they’re killing people. It could happen at 12 at night or at 12 in the afternoon. The more that we say, it’s not going to change. It’s the society. It’s where we’re headed at. It’s a New York cloud.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health support support, call 888-NYC-Well, text “Well” to 65173 or visit nyc.gov/nycwell.

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story stated that a witness gave an account of what happened. In fact it was not a witness’s account but a resident who recounted what he had heard from other neighbors about what happened. We apologize for this error.  

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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.