Belmont community calls for safer streets after 21-year-old man fatally shot
Investigators say the man was shot in the head and later transported to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Residents in the Belmont section of the Bronx say they are grieving and increasingly fearful after a 21-year-old man was fatally shot Monday evening in what police say remains an ongoing investigation.
According to police, the shooting happened just before 7 p.m. Monday on East 187th Street. Investigators say the man was shot in the head and later transported to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests had been made and police had not publicly released the victim’s identity, pending family notification.
Surveillance video obtained from a local business appears to show a man wearing a black sweatshirt approaching the victim before opening fire. Additional video from the scene shows first responders desperately attempting life-saving measures moments after the shooting.
For many neighbors, the tragedy has left the community shaken.
“My condolences goes out to the family. I’m so sorry, I’m a mother. It’s so heartbreaking,” one woman who declined to give her name told News 12.
The violence struck especially close to home for some residents.
“It’s so scary because I have children that age. Mydaughter just turned 21 a week ago...” the community member said.
Investigators returned to the scene on Tuesday, searching the area for shell casings and additional evidence as the investigation continued.
That community member, who lives on the block, told News 12 the victim had moved into her apartment complex just days before the shooting.
She said she heard gunshots coming from outside her window and immediately feared for her family’s safety.
“I was in my room when I heard a loud boom. It hit my window. My son was playing game. Right away, we ducked down away from the window,” she said.
Several neighbors, like this mother, who were too afraid to show their faces on camera, said incidents like this have become far too common in the neighborhood.
“We’re never safe in this neighborhood, never, I never let my children out because it’s always something," she added.
Another community member said ongoing violence has made even simple daily routines feel unsafe.
“This is ridiculous, kids can’t even go outside and play because every day there’s a shooting. Feeling unsafe. I was asking the officers, ‘Is it safe to walk down this block?’” said A.G., a local resident.
Manny Urena said he stopped by the neighborhood Tuesday to check on his grandmother, who lives just steps away from where the shooting happened.
“It’s kind of rough just being outside, leaving your house not knowing if you’ll come back to your house same day or if you’ll end up in a hospital,” Urena said.
Residents say repeated gun violence has created a growing sense of fear throughout the community.
“We need help. Community is not safe,” A.G. said.
Urena said the violence is deeply personal for many Bronx families.
“I had a friend who died in February from gun violence. We got to stop it,” he said.
Police say the investigation remains ongoing.
