Results tagged “killing”

1010 WINS reports, "An employee of a Manhattan restaurant was stabbed to death early Tuesday morning after ejecting three men from the 24 hour eatery, police said. The three men were taken into police custody and were being questioned." The 40-something victim worked at Casa Del Mofongo, which is open 24 hours and located on St Nicholas Ave between 182nd St & 183rd St.

The police announced that an 18-year-old was arrested in connection to the death of a 92-year-old woman in her Bronx home. Sadie Mitchell was apparently struck by a stray bullet on Tuesday evening, when a shot was fired during a fight between two groups of youths. Witnesses told cops that Jamal Blair, 18, was the shooter and he allegedly confessed. A source tells the Daily News, "He told cops he thought he was shooting up in the air. The lady was 15 feet [above ground] in her home when the bullet hit."

Last year, when people started complaining that spray from Olafur Eliasson’s waterfalls was prematurely turning trees brown, officials assured everyone the salty, East River mist wouldn't cause any "long-term danger." (Though the Public Art Fund did pay to have the salt regularly cleaned off, and the waterfalls operating hours were reduced.) Well, now it looks like some of the damage may indeed have been permanent. Scott Stamford, general manager at the River Cafe (pictured), recently showed the Brooklyn Paper some sickly-looking trees on the property, which is right by the Brooklyn Bridge. Though other trees nearby are already budding, three weeping birches are showing "no sign of life at all." And according to Stamford, "an ornamental crab apple tree... is nowhere near where it should be at this time of year." To be sure, Spring has taken its time this year, but as Stamford points out, trees can also die slowly, and he's worried that "every season we may see fewer and fewer signs of life." Asked what the restaurant will do if the trees are in fact deceased, Stamford replied, "Well, the lawyers will have to figure that out."

Authorities are determining "whether two Bronx immigrants were executed in former Jet linebacker Jonathan Vilma's million-dollar Long Island condo," the Post reports. Last week, two "bullet-ridden bodies" were found in Brooklyn and Queens. The Daily News says, "The killings may have been sparked after a [Bronx] apartment...was robbed by a crew of gun-wielding men who stole a suitcase full of cocaine from [Sekou] Sakor, a Liberian immigrant" (his body was dumped off the Paerdaget Bridge). Another hypothesis, from the AP: The victims may have been involved in "an Internet scam in which people were sold what was purported to be cash smuggled from overseas, stained black to avoid detection, at a discount, only to be given paper." Apparently residents at Eagle Chase heard gunfire last Thursday—and a bullet passed through into a neighbor's apartment. Vilma, who is currently playing for the New Orleans Saints, is not a suspect in the killings, but cops want to ask him about who had access to the residence.

According to Daily News and Post, a 16-year-old male confessed to killing former WABC Radio reporter George Weber. Weber's body was found in his Carroll Gardens apartment on Sunday and police believed he knew his killer, because there were no signs of forced entry in the apartment. Now, police say that the teen apparently answered an ad that Weber had posted on craigslist. A police source told the News, "He saw the victim's ad looking for violent sex and said 'I can smother somebody for $60' but it got out of hand."

The former police officer who was arrested for fatally shooting his girlfriend and injuring her friend spoke to a NY Post reporter early Monday morning, apparently before he was arrested. Jerry Bowens said, "I'm the cop wanted for the shooting...I'm crazy. I want to kill myself, but the family wants me to turn myself in...I hurt my girlfriend."

Yesterday, a funeral was held for 10-year-old Jaquan Oscar Porter, who was apparently killed by his abusive mother in their Staten Island home. The boy's father, Charles Porter, said, "I'm glad he's not suffering anymore," but was also angry that his ex Melissa Sekulski managed to keep their son from him, "From the Board of Education to the family courts to ACS, nobody helped me see him. No city officials called to help. It just fell down the drain." Porter, who last saw his son alive in 2003, had asked for a court-ordered visitation in 2005, but Sekulski never showed up to that hearing—or to subsequent ones in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Police say that Sekulski, who had pulled Jaquan out of school last year and kept him out of sight, admitted to slamming her son's head into the wall and a long history of abusing him. Porter said at the funeral, "I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I don't want this to happen in vain," and wants other dads to know, "Don't stop fighting. Don't let them tell you that they can't help you."

Earlier this year, a woman confessed to shooting her retired cop husband in their Howard Beach home. Barbara Sheehan later claimed self-defense, saying Raymond Sheehan had abused her (neighbors and relatives say she had been abused; a neighbor even clapped for her when she was apprehended). Now her defense lawyer makes some much more detailed and dramatic accusations.

The jury deliberating the fate of former actor Lillo Brancato Jr. must start over, because one juror was removed. According to the AP, "It was discovered a juror had been taking notes during testimony and doing research on the case at home." Brancato is on trial for killing an off-duty police officer in the Bronx. Earlier today, it was reported that the jurors asked to review evidence, including a 911 the slain cop, Daniel Enchautegui, made before his death. The victim's sister said of Brancato, "You have no idea how much I'm sick of seeing that guy. I can't take this anymore. He's smiling and laughing."

Yesterday, prosecutors said seven teens who attacked and stabbed Marcello Lucero (pictured) in Patchogue were specifically targeting Hispanics. ADA Nancy Clifford said, "In their own words, 'Let's go find some Mexicans to ---- up." Six of the teens were charged with gang assault as a hate crime, while one was charged with manslaughter as a hate crime and held without bail; they all pleaded not guilty. Newsday reports that Latino advocacy group Hispanics Across America may file a civil suit against the teens' parents, "Parents that teach their children hate are just as responsible as the kids who commit the crimes." And Lucero was remembered as a generous person who was excited about Barack Obama's presidential win; his brother said, "He saw it as a chance for people with brown skin to be seen as equals. Instead, my brother was killed because of his appearance." The NY Times has an editorial about Lucero's death, noting the anti-immigrant attitude encouraged by Republicans

WNBC reports that 66-year-old Nick Nowillo died after a confrontation with an attacker on Crescent Avenue in Long Island City. The 43-year-old attacker, who was arrested but not identified, allegedly hit Nowillo several times, including punching him so hard that he died at Astoria General Hospital later. Nowillo, who had been escorting a woman home because she felt the suspect "was...acting strangely" in the street, was a beloved figure in the neighborhood, nicknamed the "Mayor of Long Island City."

The four waterfalls installed by artist Olafur Eliasson and the Public Art fund at various spots on the East River are supposed be taken down on October 13th, but some Brooklyn residents fear that could be too late. In response to mounting concerns that spray from the salty, semi-polluted East River is blowing onto trees and slowly killing them, Judy Stanton, head of the Brooklyn Heights Association, is calling for the falls to be stopped now. She tells the Brooklyn Paper, “I think it’s enough. They’re damaging the local environment and I don’t think it’s worth it to have this question remain: Will the trees come back?” Reporter Sarah Portlock, who has dubbed this whole thing a "tree-bacle," also notes that drivers who park near the falls are returning to find their vehicles coated with oil residue and salt.

The brother of the teenager who killed Lower East Side resident Nicole DuFresne in 2005 was killed as he attempted to rob a Staten Island resident on Jersey St., when his intended victim grabbed the pistol pointed at him and then shot Grant Fleming three times in the chest. Fleming was attempting a push-in robbery as the resident was entering his apartment. Grant Fleming's brother is Rudy Fleming, who responded to a robbery victim's inquiry of "You got what you wanted. What are you going to do now, shoot us?" by shooting Nicole Dufresne in the chest, killing her. Rudy Fleming is currently serving a life sentence for DuFresne's murder.

On Wednesday night, 15-year-old Keyanna Jones was stabbed to death by when a dispute over line cutting at a Queens bus stop.

A man was "pulled into an argument over the NBA playoffs", eventually getting stabbed to death outside his cousin's house in Queens Village. Henry Frazier died at Mary Immaculate Hospital, and police believe Frazier may have started to altercation.

NYC Parks & Recreation is offering a $500 reward to find out who wantonly chopped down a grove of Eastern Red Cedar trees in Inwood Hill Park. The trees were planted in 1996 and were thriving, until visitors to the park discovered that 35 of the Red Cedars had been hacked to death with something like an ax. Surrounding species of trees were left unharmed. Someone out there has a serious problem with Red Cedars. In November 2006, park officials found 28 similarly chopped Red Cedars in a separate section of the park.

On Friday night, the Westchester police shot at a Mount Vernon police officer brandishing a gun in front of a county social services building. The policeman killed was Christopher Ridley, who was off-duty at the time; now it turns out he had been trying to break up a brawl.