Police in the Bronx are looking for three suspects after a teenager was shot and killed on a local playground Monday night.
Law enforcement sources said 18-year-old Joshua Sparrow, of East 161st Street in the Bronx, was gunned down while standing near the Stebbins Playground on the 900 block of Rev. James A. Polite Avenue in Longwood at about 7:04 p.m. on Oct. 28.
Officers from the 41st Precinct, in responding to a 911 call about the incident, found Sparrow shot no fewer than three times — once in the head and twice in the torso.
Sources familiar with the case said that it remains unclear if Sparrow was the intended target of the shooting. Police had not had any previous interactions with the victim.
EMS rushed the young man to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Authorities are searching for three individuals who fled the scene toward 165th Street, two of whom were wearing all black while a third donned a white shirt.
No arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Year-to-date through Oct. 27, according to the most recent CompStat report, the 41st Precinct tallied four homicides, down from eight at the same point last year. Shootings were also down 33.3%, with 12 this year compared to 18 at the same point in 2023.
