Bronx Crime Watch: Police Seek Tremont Killer

By David Greene

Detectives are busy trying to identify a killer who shot his victim multiple times in Tremont last night.

According to authorities, police were called at 6:49 p.m., on Monday, May 9, to a building at 446 E. 176th St., and discovered the victim in the stairway between the third and fourth floors.

A police source said the male victim was shot four times--twice in the back, once in the head and once in the shoulder. He was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital at 7:07 p.m., where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police have identified the victim as Omar Rodriguez, 31.

"We don't have a motive...or a description," of the gunman, the source added.

Nominate a Bronx Youth Leader in CB6!

Community Board 6 is inviting the public to submit the names and biographies of community-minded youths to be considered for nomination to the New York Yankee Community Council Youth Leadership Corp--an annual award doled out by the Yankees to five young people in the Bronx who have volunteered their time to civic activities and worked to make their communities better.

Awardees will receive a $750 stipend. To be considered for nomination by CB6, the young person must meet the following criteria:

• Live in the boundaries of Community Board #6, which encompasses Bathgate, Belmont, Bronx Park South, East Tremont, Crotona Park North and West Farms
• Be no older than 18
• Have a history of involvement in civic activities and helping to improve their community
• Willing to commit to working with Bronx CB6 in the preparation of its June anti-violence talent show

 The nomination form is below, and should be returned to CB6 by the Friday, Nov. 5 deadline to: 1932 Arthur Ave., or to brxcb6@optonline.net, or faxed to 718-579-6875.

Nomination Form

Espada Defiant in Confusing Concession Speech

When Pedro Espada Jr. stepped down from the podium in the back of La Luna Lounge in Tremont after giving a short, fiery and somewhat confusing concession speech into a crush of reporters, the small but raucous crowd began chanting.

"ESPADA! ESPADA! ESPADA!" they bellowed.

One of the most vocal chanters was Mike J. "Hollywood" McCray, "a.k.a 'Nine Milli,' but not because I like guns, if you know what I mean," he said. When asked what he thought about Espada's loss, McCray's face momentarily dropped. "He lost? I thought he won."

Laura ("but everyone calls me 'Cookie'") Rosario was equally perplexed. "We win? No, we lost?" she said. No matter, Rosario said, "I'm proud and I'm glad I worked for him. I'm still a winner."

Rosario and McCray were typical of Espada's supporters last night. They didn't realize what was saying to them -- there were no TVs in the place to show results -- and they didn't believe any of the negative press surrounding Espada's re-election campaign, even as it became the overriding theme of nearly every news story about him.

McCray, sporting a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey and toting a Heineken, said he voted for Espada because "he comes to the hood. Homeboy is all over," he said. "And he gave me some of them platanos the other day."

After Espada exited, McCray and others provided an animated background for television reports filming their segments for the evening news.

Sitting at one of the tables, sipping a Budweiser and chatting to two other older white men, was Steve Pigeon, the Buffalo political activist who became Espada's $150,000-a-year general counsel after helping him orchestrate last summer Senate coup, along with billionaire Tom Golisano.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed," Pigeon said, adding that he felt coverage of the race was obviously "one-sided" and that the media had turned Espada into some kind of "Beelzebub."

"There was no fair reporting about him," Pigeon said.

No one gave Espada credit for bringing some reform to Albany as a result of briefly siding with Republicans last summer, Pigeon said, citing the end of "three-men-in-a-room" decision making and the empowering of committee chairs. (Many pundits brushed the reforms off as mostly cosmetic at the time.)

Talking to reporters, Espada said much the same thing. "What I tried to do was become an independent voice," he said, "at a great cost to myself and my family." 

"I think he was dealt a bad hand," Pigeon said. "But you haven't seen the last of him -- or me."

Bronx News Roundup, March 24

Four-year-old Joshua Delarosa was critically injured after a traffic pole landed on his head. A cab driver allegedly swerved to miss a city bus and crashed into the poll, which then struck Joshua and his mother.

The police officer who was shot in the belly yesterday afternoon is in a stable condition. The officer was shot two times; a third bullet was blocked by his Kevlar vest. The shooter took his own life.

Hoodlums smashed 200 light bulbs in a Castle Hill housing development, creating dark and dangerous hallways for residents of the building.

The Haven Academy Charter school will be housed in a new green LEED-certified building.

A small peek at what goes on in the lot behind Tuff City, a tattoo parlor on East Fordham Road.

A Bronx man accused of murder was caught by U.S Marshals in Pennsylvania.

The Daily News has a roundup of savings that can be found in stores and restaurants on East Tremont Avenue.

Some New York Democrats want to legalize medical marijuana in the state to help plug up the $9 billion budget gap. Medical marijuana activists believable legalizing the crop will generate millions of dollars for the state. As of now, marijuana is still a criminalized substance in New York.

Some insight into State Senator Pedro Espada's plan to charge motorists $2 each way to cross East River bridges. (Subscription needed.)  Last year, Espada criticized a similar proposal.

Bronx News Roundup Feb. 9

Nine Bronx teens, ages 14-18, will get the chance to air segments on National Public Radio through the Peabody Award-winning youth journalism program, Radio Rookies.

A judge finally throws out the negligent super of a building on E. 175th St in Tremont. An administrator has been appointed to review and respond to tenants’ complaints that include collapsing ceilings, widespread mold, and a rodent infestation.

A man held two women hostage on Saturday in an apartment in Melrose. After six hours, the women were let go and police arrested the man.

A generous benefactor donates the funds to build a new computer lab at St. Theresa School. Before his death, Antonio Martello, a resident of Pelham Gardens, was suffering from kidney illness and changed his will to include the generous gift after he heard that the children at St. Theresa were praying for him.

The Botanical Garden’s Lorillard snuff mill will get a $10.5 million renovation. Weddings, banquets and parties at the mill, bring in about $1 million annually for the botanical garden.