The family of a grandmother who was gunned down by a stray bullet in the Bronx last week cursed the name of the suspected gunman as he was led away in cuffs to face justice on Monday night.
The family of 71-year-old Enriqueta Rivera convened outside of the 40th Precinct on Sept. 18., staring up at the station house with photographs of Rivera in their trembling hands and tears running down their faces. Harbingers of sorrow, the gathering made up of daughters, grandchildren, and friends of the senior, who was shot while walking home on Thursday, looked to face the man who allegedly stole her from them.
“There is a God and whatever you do on this earth you will pay for,” Neliza Abad—one of Rivera’s three daughters—said, referring to the accused killer behind bars in the precinct. “Justice will be served for my mother. Everyone will know her name, she will not be an unknown.”
Joshua Evans, 21, of the Bronx was arrested early Monday morning after being tracked down to a home in Mount Vernon by the U.S Marshals and the NYPD Regional Fugitive Apprehension Team, sources familiar with the investigation said.
Evans is accused of killing Rivera with a bullet to the back and wounding a 34-year-old woman in the arm after unleashing a bullet storm outside of 512 138 Street on Sept. 14, police said. Both women were rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where Rivera died of her injuries.
Video footage obtained by amNewYork Metro from a nearby restaurant shows the senior suddenly falling to the sidewalk before the gunman can be seen fleeing the scene on foot.
Sources with knowledge of the incident report that the shooting stemmed from a gang dispute, leaving Rivera to be collateral damage in a deadly feud.
“She was a beautiful person inside and out. She was always happy. If there was anything she could do for you, she would have went out of her way to do it for you. So, when you remember my mother, smile, because she was the happiest person on this earth. And we will continue to carry her legacy,” Abad said.
As detectives transferred Evans from the 40th Precinct to Central Booking, he was met with a series of rowdy jeers from those waiting outside.
“Rot in Hell!” some screamed. “Murderer!” others called out.
Evans did not respond to the fury as he was placed in the back of an unmarked police vehicle. He is charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault, and criminal possession of a loaded firearm.
“I want to thank the NYPD for doing their job and I am beyond impressed how fast he was caught,” Abad said.
