A beloved Bronx grandmother was shot to death while on duty Thursday afternoon when a suspected gang member opened fire on a competitor in a busy commercial area.
Footage obtained by The Post shows Enriqueta Rivera, 71, slumped to concrete in broad daylight near a Mott Haven intersection as the gunman and his target scatter in opposite directions.
“She was a sweet woman,” said longtime neighbor Luis Gutierrez, 46. “A beautiful person. He just retired. He is enjoying his time off. He has two teacup Yorkies that he loves.”
Gutierrez said Rivera was the parent of a large family and often received relatives in his apartment – and sometimes prepared meals for his wife and children as well.
“He loved his family,” she said. “Every Saturday his two daughters would come and have a family gathering, lots of music, food. Just having fun together.”
Grieving neighbors – who lit a memorial candle in front of her apartment building Friday evening – said the area had been engulfed in violence.
Enriqueta Rivera’s grandmother was shot to death Thursday afternoon.
A sign near the scene of Rivera’s murder.Brigitte Stelzer
“It’s like a child growing up in Kuwait, in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “These are things you just have to adapt to.”
Carmen Pagan, 65, a worker at a hair salon near the scene, said locals were afraid to walk the streets amid rising crime and flying bullets.
“Business is down,” he said. “They don’t want to be in a corner. [The violence] will continue. It happened three days in a row. And they won’t do anything. The police, the mayor, they never did anything about it. We’re all alone here in the Bronx.”
Police said Rivera was desperately trying to get away from the gunfire when he was hit in the back.
Neighbors leave memorial candles next to Rivera’s apartment.Brigitte Stelzer for the NY Post
The fighters were arguing on East 138th Street near Brook Avenue shortly after 12:30 p.m., when one of them began spraying bullets in a crowded commercial area, police said.
Another innocent bystander, a 34-year-old woman, was shot in the arm and is expected to survive.
“The bullet hit two innocent people standing in the street,” NYPD Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley said at a news briefing Thursday night.
The scene of Rivera’s murder in Mott Haven.Peter Gerber
The deadly violence was just one of three shootings over the past week that left four innocent people injured – including an 8-year-old boy who was hit by a stray bullet after getting off his school bus Wednesday afternoon.
Investigators believe the shooting could be linked to escalating gang activity.
“We believe that these shootings have a gang or crew connection to them,” Gurley said.
Police are investigating possible gang ties to the murder. Peter Gerber
Rivera is described as a loving local player who recently retired.Brigitte Stelzer
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark characterized Rivera as a revered figure in his local community who was just “standing there minding his own business.”
“This has to stop … Enough is enough,” Clark said.
“This happened in broad daylight,” he insisted, as authorities appealed for witnesses to come forward. “We cannot allow this to continue.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
