NYPD cops run toward scene, bystanders flee as gunfire erupts at Bronx housing project in aftermath of shooting death
A massive police presence did not deter a brazen spray of gunfire at a Bronx housing project as cops investigated the earlier shooting death of a 22-year-old man.
A Daily News reporter was interviewing people at the murder scene around 8:30 p.m. Saturday when about six shots went off near a building in the Eastchester Gardens NYCHA complex in Allerton.
Police ran toward the shooting scene as neighborhood residents and bystanders ran away. Some people fled the scene screaming.
Police said a man suffered a graze wound in the shooting, and refused medical attention.
After the gunshots, police officers and an NYPD helicopter pursued a man who ran away from the scene on foot. It was unclear if they caught up with him.
The incident unfolded as police investigated the fatal broad-daylight shooting of 22-year-old Miguel Molina, which occurred nearby around 4:40 p.m.
Initial reports said the man was shot three times in the chest. He was taken to Jacobi Hospital and later died, according to police.
A witness told The News that Molina had been arguing with a group of men at the Eastchester Playground when he suddenly made a dash for the front door of his nearby apartment.
Just before he reached his apartment, the gunman unleashed a hail of gunfire and Molina collapsed mere steps from his front door, the witness said.
“They shot him in front of the door,” said Becca Carruthera, Molina’s next-door neighbor.
Carruthera spoke to The News as she cleaned the blood from outside her neighbor’s apartment, in plain sight of children playing at the park nearby.
“I am broken,” she said. “He was a family man. He had a close-knit family. I knew him 20 years. He was a good kid.”
Another neighbor echoed Carruthera’s sentiments, saying Molina was a good man with his whole life in front of him who did not deserve to die.
“He was a certified good dude and a wonderful daddy,” said Ed Gucciana. “I hope he gets justice.”
Molina was gunned down by members of the Young Gunnaz gang, whose bitter feuds and gang rivalries have resulted in deadly violence throughout the Bronx, including the shooting that claimed the life of another young father in 2021, according to a witness, who asked that his name be withheld for fear of reprisal.
Molina worked hard to provide a better life for his 2-year-old daughter and hoped to join the sheet-metal workers union in order to support his family, a cousin wrote on a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses.
“He had a strong desire to create a better life for himself and his loved ones,” said Jose Ramos. “Sadly, I will never have the chance to work side by side with him and assist in his upliftment.”
Cops were seeking three male suspects in the fatal shooting. One wore a red sweater and one wore an orange sweater. No specific description information was available for the third suspect.
Plastic cones used to identify bullet casings and rubber gloves left behind by EMS workers were still in a playground at the scene when the second shooting unfolded.
