Bronx community mourns death of off-duty officer, his father

A growing memorial now sits outside the apartment building where officer Alexis Martinez and his father were found shot to death inside.

News 12 Staff and Marisa Marcellino

Aug 3, 2023, 10:18 AM

Updated 435 days ago

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Police say an officer and his father were killed in a suspected murder-suicide or accidental suicide Wednesday in a Soundview apartment.
A growing memorial now sits outside the apartment building where officer Alexis Martinez and his father were found shot to death inside.
Police say the incident happened around 12:30 p.m. at 1306 Fteley Ave. They say they found both victims shot in the head inside the same room of the apartment the father and son shared together.
Investigators say they found Martinez's NYPD gun nearby and that they believe the father pulled the trigger.
Martinez was given a dignified transfer yesterday as officers flooded the streets outside the apartment building to say goodbye. The fallen officer was only 26 years old.
Martinez graduated from St. Raymond's High School and John Jay College where he also played on the baseball team. He started his career with the NYPD in 2018 in the 34th Precinct.
Since May, he worked as a narcotics officer in the Bronx. He was working toward becoming a detective. Martinez's mother is out of the country, and officials are working to get her back to the Bronx.
Police officers who knew Martinez say he was very friendly, personable and always laughing. Omar Farn owns a deli around corner and says he and his brother knew him well.
"He is a nice officer and nice man. I knew him for five years - seen him every morning and shook hands," Farn says.
Mayor Eric Adams offered his condolences as the city mourns a fallen officer.
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