THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — The Bronx community is mourning the death of a 71-year-old grandmother who was hit and killed by a stray bullet while trying to cross a street on Thursday.
Enriqueta Rivera, 71, was just an innocent bystander when she was shot and killed in Mott Haven around 12:35 p.m., police said.
“Two males got into a dispute. One male pulled out a firearm and fired multiple shots at the other,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley.
Rivera was trying to cross the street at East 138th Street and Brook Avenue when she was hit in the back by one of the stray bullets, according to police. A 34-year-old food vendor was also hit in the arm.
Police believe the shooting may have been gang-related. No arrests have been made.
Rivera lived alone in the Mill Brook Houses, where her friends and neighbors can’t believe she’s gone.
“I feel sad because she was a nice lady. She always walked with her granddaughter, but luckily her granddaughter wasn’t with her yesterday,” said Maria Melendez, a neighbor of the victim.
The shooting came on the third straight day of gun violence in the Bronx. A woman was grazed by a bullet on Wednesday, and an 8-year-old boy was hit in the leg during a shooting on Tuesday.
“It’s sad. A lot of innocent people are getting shot for no reason. They’re just coming around and shooting and shooting people. It’s bad,” a Bronx resident told PIX11 News.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
