Two suspects ID'd in Fordham park shooting that injured children

Four people in and around St. James Park in Fordham were wounded Tuesday evening when a man and a teen on a scooter shot into a crowd. Among the wounded are a 6-year-old and 3-year-old.

Police have identified two suspects, a 16-year-old boy and 23-year-old Angel Hernandez. The 16-year-old is believed to been the one to have fired the gun while Hernandez is thought to been the one driving the scooter.

The duo approached the park on East 193rd Street and Morris Avenue at about 5:45 p.m. when the man got off and began firing into the park.

Police say this resulted in a 25-year-old man being shot in the lower back, a 23-year-old man in the left thigh, a 6-year-old boy in the right calf, and a 3-year-old being grazed in the right calf. All victims were taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital and are in stable condition.

A 2700 Jerome Ave. resident who was in the park during Tuesday’s shooting told The Riverdale Press she was separated from her son who was in a wheelchair. The woman, who identified herself as Maria Alvarez, said she was sitting near the entrance of the park when the two men approached.

“The scooter pulled up,” she said. “It’s two guys. One jumps up with the gun and starts shooting randomly over here. I fell to the ground,” Alvarez said.

She said she witnessed the 6-year-old victim “go down.” Once she saw that, she knew she had to get away and find her child. Days ago Alvarez and her son had come up with a plan of where to meet in the event there was ever an emergency and they were separated. They made it to each other.

Alvarez heard from a mobile app that the two shooters allegedly were also involved in a shooting by East 195th Street near Kingsbridge, leading to another person getting injured.

She theorized that the shooters likely had a target, saying people don’t just shoot at kids.

“I’m thinking they were looking for somebody to shoot at and people got in the way, innocent bystanders,” she said.

“A child should not be traumatized. Now this kid might have PTSD, don’t want to go near a park. It messes up kids’ childhoods, you know. I told my son ‘unfortunately you’re not going to the park today.’”

This unfortunately was not the only violent crime Alvarez has been in close proximity to in the area. She happened to witness the aftermath of the 16-year-old boy who was jumped and stabbed near the Kingsbridge armory earlier this year.

Alvarez criticized police for putting police cars in the area only after the shooting. She said they are well aware that the nearby area is a drug spot and a common place to drink.

“And now, we have a police officer there. Now? That’s a school zone,” Alvarez said.

She mentioned how moped drivers in the area cover their faces and you can’t tell who is or isn’t doing an Uber delivery. A lot of mopeds that do Uber deliveries in the area park in the McDonald’s nearby and allegedly drink while waiting for orders, Alvarez said.

“The cops aren’t doing (crap) about it. The cops ain’t doing nothing. The mopeds shouldn’t be in here,” Alvarez said.

She hopes that there will be more cops stationed in the area the next time she goes.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said that it’s impossible to have a cop at every bench in the park and people should trust they know best how to deploy their officers. He also noted that the people who have said “defund the police” or “there are too many police officers” could not be more wrong.

The Assemblyman also brought up the issue of illegal vehicles, saying there needs to be a crackdown on them. While he doesn’t think a crackdown would necessarily prevent shootings, he does say that maybe it’ll make some people make more wise decisions.

“I am troubled that reckless shootings endanger our children and young people, even outside peaceful parks,” Councilman Eric Dinowitz said in a statement. “This alarming trend puts innocent lives at risk and creates a sense of fear and insecurity within our communities. The safety and well-being of our youth should be a top priority.”

The councilman further said that “the plague of gun violence” is becoming too common and that New York residents must work together to create an environment for children where there isn’t a constant threat of violence.

Police provided two photos of the suspects, one at 108 Field Place from before the shooting and another after from the corner of East 183 Street and Morris Avenue. The 16-year-old is described as a boy with dark complexion, slim build and large black hair and Hernandez is described as a man with a medium complexion, medium build and black hair in braids.

Police are offering an up to $3,500 reward to anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the two shooters.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at (800) 577-8477, or go to CrimeStoppers.nypdonline.org.