Police are investigating after a man was found dead on the staircase of a Bronx apartment building Wednesday.
The man, 68-year-old Eric Simmons, was found on the ninth floor staircase of a building on East 156th Street in Melrose, police said.
Simmons did not live in the building, according to police.
The medical examiner’s office deemed the death a homicide, but officials did not say how the man died. No further information was immediately available.
Friends said Simmons was retired and had worked as an orderly at Lincoln Hospital.
"We called him papa," friend Michelle Love said. "We can't believe that he's gone.
Other echoed the same sentiments.
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"He's one of the best men I know," said Christina Williams, a friend of more than 20 years. "I'm still in shock."
