A woman was killed after she got caught in the middle of a gunfight between several men in the Bronx, police said.
The violence broke out outside of a deli near the intersection of East 188th Street and Creston Avenue in the Fordham Heights neighborhood, just after 7 p.m. Monday, according to police officials.
The 61-year-old woman was walking on the sidewalk when a group of men got into a fight and started firing, police said. The victim, who police officials confirmed was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the fight, was struck once in the back by a bullet, senior NYPD officials said.
She was brought to St. Barnabas Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The NYPD identified the victim Tuesday as Juana Esperanza Soriano De-Perdomo.
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The suspects, four men, took off on foot down Creston Avenue after the shooting, and no arrests have been made.
"It sounded like a bunch of firecrackers in a pot, just repeatedly. It was like one or two," said witness Chris Simono, who said there may have been as many as eight shots fired.
Four bullet casings were recovered at the scene, as well as video surveillance. An investigation is ongoing as detectives continue to hang up posters asking anyone with information on those responsible to come forward.
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The shooting came just hours after Mayor Eric Adams talked about bringing an end to the rise in gun violence in the city.
"Too many guns on our streets, too many people who are willing to use those guns to harm innocent people," the mayor said at an afternoon press conference.
The area where the shooting took place already had neighborhood safety patrols assigned to it. It's unclear what exactly took place Monday night that led to the shooting.
A prayer vigil for Soriano De-Perdomo is scheduled for Tuesday night in front of the deli where the shooting took place -- an area that has already become a makeshift memorial with a couple of candles.
