Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Eagle Flies High in Tourney

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Eagle Flies High in Tourney: Eagle Flies High in Tourney By Gary Quintal BRONX, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 25- Number 10 seed Eagle Academy for Young Men hosted the opening ...

Eagle Flies High in Tourney

Eagle Flies High in Tourney

By Gary Quintal

BRONX, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 25- Number 10 seed Eagle Academy for Young Men hosted the opening round of the 2015 PSAL Boys Basketball AA division Tournament on February 24th playing #23 Beach Channel.  

Underdog Beach Channel responded to the challenge holding close and eventually tying Eagle Academy twice in the second quarter before taking a 24-21 lead on a three pointer with 3:51 remaining in the second.  

Eagle would later tie the score a third time before two Beach Channel field goals in the final 45 seconds of the half gave Beach Channel its largest lead of the night 31-27.  

Eagle Academy poured it on the the second half, using consecutive three pointers to cap a 13-2 run taking a 40-33 lead that that they never relinquished. 

Eagle Academy cruised past Beach Channel 73-59. 

PSAL playoffs are slated to run through March 14th with the Second round to begin February 26th and 27th.  

#PSAL #Basketball  #Sports

Hit-n-Run

Killed on the Bronx - Manhattan Border:

Cops Hunt for Hit-and-Run Driver in Marble Hill

Photo by Andre Rivera

#NYPD #Hitnrun #Bronxnews

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 24- Authorities are looking for the hit-and-run driver who dragged a man a short distance, before speeding past the hospital where he would later die.

Officers from the 50th Precinct were called to West 225 Street and Broadway at just before 7 p.m. on February 23.

Police officials say the victim, identified as Daniel Cabrera, 38, of Cortland Manor, N.Y., was headed westbound along West 225 Street--when he was struck by the vehicle headed south on Broadway.

The victim was briefly dragged and left in the roadway as the vehicle sped over the Broadway Bridge into the Inwood section of Manhattan.

Officials say that Cabrera was rushed to New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Hospital, where he died several hours later.

Like many of the witnesses, David Gibbs only heard the crash, Gibbs told a handful of reporters, "I heard a noise and I heard a boom and where the boom was, there was a guy laying across the street... dead."

"I said somebody got hit," Gibbs continued, "and everybody yelled, 'Dial 911' ... and he sped off right across the bridge."

Police officials were looking for a Dodge Magnum station wagon with tinted windows. Depending on which police sources you spoke to; investigators were looking for a light gray, green or silver vehicle with heavy front-end damage.  

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Christening shooting

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Christening shooting: Gunman gets 50 yrs for christening shooting that left 10-yr-old girl dead #Gunman #NYPD #DA #Bronxnews BRONX, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 23- Distr...

Christening shooting

Gunman gets 50 yrs for christening shooting that left 10-yr-old girl dead

#Gunman #NYPD #DA #Bronxnews

BRONX, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 23- District Attorney Robert Johnson announced that 32-year-old Edgar “Puebla” Morales has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the August 18, 2002 shooting at a christening party that took the life of 10-year-old, Melany Mendez, and paralyzed a bystander, Javier Tochimani.

After a six-week-long re-trial in October, 2014 before Justice Peter Benitez, Morales was convicted of: attempted murder in the second degree (Class B Felony), manslaughter in the first degree (Class B Felony), gang assault in the first degree (Class B Felony), criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree (Class C Felony), conspiracy in the fourth degree (Class E Felony).

Morales was originally tried and convicted in late 2007 in the first-ever use of the New York State Anti-Terrorism Statute against an organized gang, the St. James Boys (SJB), which sought to dominate the neighborhood around St. James Park in the Parkchester section of the Bronx. That conviction was overturned by the New York State Court of Appeals in late 2012, which ruled that (in spite of language in the statute describing terrorism as acts “intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population”) that law did not apply to the illegal acts of gang members committed in order to coerce or intimidate adversaries.

The crimes took place when gunfire erupted outside the St. Paul's Lutheran Church Hall at 1891 McGraw Avenue.  

Innocent bystander Mendez was shot once in the head by a stray bullet during an altercation that began when Morales and other SJG members invaded a baptism party being held there.  Confronting a man whom they believed to be a rival gang member, words were exchanged and the target and his friend, Tochimani, attempted to leave. Morales and several other SJG members followed them outside, where they assaulted the two men and opened fire, killing the little girl and leaving the second victim permanently paralyzed.

Prior to sentencing, emotional victim impact statements were presented by Mendez’ best friend, and by Tochimani, speaking from the wheelchair to which he is permanently confined [his written statement in Spanish delivered by a Court interpreter and paraphrased here] – “He [Morales] has deprived me of my freedom…for the last 12 years my children have grown up without a father who can simply be with them…my wife is abandoned without my support. My beloved mother, every day since this horrible tragedy wakes up hoping that her son may one day walk. My family has been completely destroyed by these bad people.”

Tochimani is not only confined to the wheelchair, but has also lived in an institution since the day he was shot.

Says District Attorney Johnson, “The state's highest court may have found that these acts cannot be prosecuted using the state terrorism statute, but the terror perpetrated by organized gangs will not be tolerated, and we will bring members of these gangs to justice using the full force of the law.”

After Morales finishes his sentence he will have five years post-release supervision and will be subject.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Coats for Needy

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Coats for Needy: Coats for Needy Council Member Andy King Spreads Warmth with Coat Giveaway #Coats #AndyKing #Bronxnews BRONX, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 23- Counci...

Coats for Needy

Coats for Needy

Council Member Andy King Spreads Warmth with Coat Giveaway

#Coats #AndyKing #Bronxnews

BRONX, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 23- Council Member Andy King is helping Bronx residents fight the bitter cold – one coat at the time.

Council Member King held a winter coat giveaway, distributing hundreds of winter coats, t-shirts and jackets to those in need.

Residents started lining up hours before the noon coat giveaway on Sunday. Luis Riquelme, 81, of Wakefield was the first to arrive at Council Member King’s district office on East Gun Hill Rd., Bronx.

“This is a fine coat,” said Riquelme. “It’s better than the one I have on now, which is old --  this is new.”

“There are far too many people – children and seniors included – who have been suffering through these bitter cold days without a coat. It is our hope to bring warmth and comfort to as many needy residents as possible,” said Council Member King who accepted the coats from the Bronx Clergy Taskforce and New York Cares.

“Three weeks ago I lost everything in a fire,” said Mary Edwards of Wakefield, who found a green coat at the giveaway. “This is fantastic, I really appreciate it. God sends us good people who do good things.”

This is the first year Council Member King hosted a coat giveaway. Based on the response, the Councilman said he plans to hold one every year.