Detectives booked the alleged shooter who gunned down a man at an Inwood apartment building courtyard on Saturday night. Cops, meanwhile, continue to investigate a second deadly shooting in the East Village on Sunday morning.
Law enforcement sources said a suspect is being questioned in connection with the first shooting, which happened at about 10:55 p.m. on Oct. 5 in the courtyard of an apartment building on Post Avenue near West 204th Street in Inwood.
Officers from the 34th Precinct responded to the location after receiving a 911 call about a man shot. Upon arriving at the scene, police said, they found the unidentified victim, a 26-year-old man, unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his head.
Paramedics rushed the victim to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have withheld his identity, pending family notification.
Officers took 28-year-old Rafael Negron of East 181st Street in the Bronx into custody at the scene. He was charged Sunday morning with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Sources familiar with the investigation stated that Negron had been involved in a dispute with the victim. Police are investigating a possible connection between the shooting and narcotics activity.
Negron’s attorney, Todd Spodek, told amNewYork Metro on Monday that, “Our initial investigation shows that all times Mr. Negron was acting in self defense.”
About two hours later, a 26-year-old man was shot to death following an argument in the East Village, police reported.
Law enforcement sources said the homicide happened at 1:20 a.m. on Oct. 11 at the corner of East 13th Street and Avenue A.
Police reported that the victim — Tyrell Williams, 26, of East 4th Street in the East Village — had been involved in a dispute with an unidentified man. The argument led to bloodshed when the suspect pulled out a gun and shot Williams in the chest; he then fled the scene in an unknown direction.
Officers from the 9th Precinct and EMS units responded to the scene. Paramedics rushed Williams to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
At this point in the investigation, police have not established a further description of the perpetrator.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the East Village killing can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
This story was updated at 12:40 p.m. on Oct. 11.
