Family mourns 22-year-old fatally shot on Bronx street: ‘We lost a part of us’
A young man shot during a senseless fight on a Bronx street was mourned Sunday by his close-knit family — including his twin brother — as police arrested the suspect in the case.
“It was a tragedy,” victim Joshua Thomas’s father Sinatra Thomas told the Daily News. “We lost more than a life — we lost a part of us.”
Thomas, 22, and two of his friends were near the intersection of E. Burnside Ave. and the Grand Concourse in Fordham Heights when they got into an argument with a group of men around 3:50 a.m. Saturday, police said.
The quarrel escalated and one of the men involved pulled a gun, shooting Thomas in the head, cops said.
Roman Anderson, 22, was arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, police said Sunday night.
The suspect lives just blocks from the apartment where Thomas’s family was mourning.
Relatives struggled to come to terms with the death of their beloved family member — one of five brothers — whom older sibling Julian Thomas described as “the utmost humble person in the world.”
“He was well-known and respected in the neighborhood,” said Sinatra Thomas. “He loved his friends.”
Thomas’s friends, ages 25 and 22, were struck in the leg and chest, respectively, police said.
Medics rushed all three men to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where Thomas died. The man shot in the chest was in critical condition and the one hit in the leg was expected to survive.
Thomas, who worked jobs from retail to modeling for a neighborhood clothing shop, lived with his parents in the apartment where he grew up.
Thomas’ twin recounted the close connection he felt with his late brother, who was nicknamed “Baby Legs” since he was the shorter of the two.
“At some point, if he’s having a problem, I could feel it,” said the sibling, Justice Thomas, adding that the duo used to regularly play basketball at nearby Zimmerman Playground, known locally as “Zimms Park.”
“Me and my brother could never finish a one-on-one basketball game,” Justice Thomas said. “That’s how everyone knows us.”
Julian Thomas and his girlfriend — who live in an apartment in the same building — changed their infant son’s name from A.J. to Armani Joshua to honor their beloved family member.
“I had a lot of fun with my little brother,” said Julian Thomas, 28. “He spoiled my daughter, played with her non-stop.”
Thomas was one of three people fatally shot in the Bronx on Saturday.
In the first incident, a gunman opened fire on a couple driving near the corner of E. 170th St. and College Ave. in Claremont around 12:20 a.m., cops said.
A 37-year-old woman driving a Honda CRV was shot in the head. Her 43-year-old boyfriend, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was shot in the left leg. She was rushed to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where she died.
Medics took her boyfriend to Lincoln Hospital, where he’s expected to survive.
A 41-year-old man was fatally shot in the chest near E. 214th St. and Wilson Ave. in Williamsbridge around 1:30 p.m., police said.
He was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, but could not be saved.
The Bronx has seen 86 murders so far this year, a 7.5% drop compared to the same time frame last year, according to the latest available NYPD stats.
Brooklyn has had 82 homicides; Manhattan, 50, Queens, 48; and Staten Island, four.
One of Joshua Thomas’ neighbors remembered him for taking out her garbage.
He was a “very respectful kid,” said the neighbor, Stephanie Lopez.
