Mott Haven, Bronx (WABC) — Police have made an arrest in connection with two shootings in the Bronx that left one innocent bystander dead and another injured.
Enriqueta Rivera, 71, was crossing the street with her back turned on Sept. 14 when shots rang out at the corner of East 139th Street and Brooke Avenue in broad daylight. One of the bullets struck her in the back and pierced her heart. She died in hospital.
Police arrested 21-year-old Joshua Evans and charged him with murder and attempted murder in connection with the incident.
The suspect was found hiding at a relative’s home in Mount Vernon.
Rivera’s family and friends showed up to the Mott Haven section of the Bronx on Monday with this message: “No matter what you do on this earth, you pay a price on this earth. Justice will be served for my mother.” .Everyone will know her name: Enriqueta Rivera Melendez.”
Another woman, Albertina Reyes, 34, was also shot in the left arm while standing with friends. She is expected to survive.
Police arrested Evans on murder charges a short time later Monday morning. Records show he had been arrested for robbery before.
“If you carry an illegal firearm, if you pull the trigger recklessly, if you harm anyone in our city, the NYPD will find you,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban.
The intended targets of the shooting were rival gang members, according to police.
“Two men got into an argument. One of the men pulled out a firearm and fired several shots at the other man,” the assistant said. Benjamin Gurley, chief of the New York Police Department’s Bronx Patrol Bureau, said Thursday after the incident. “Those bullets hit two innocent people standing in the street.”
The latest gang violence appears to involve rival residents of the Mitchell and Mott Haven residences, with most of the suspects being suspected gang members in their teens and 20s. The motivation appears to be nothing more than longstanding differences passed down from generation to generation.
While the victim’s family applauded the police for their swift work, they are now devastated by the loss of someone who was so full of joy.
Nelissa Rivera, the victim’s daughter, said: “When you think of my mother, please smile because she was the happiest person in the world.”
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