Woman dies after being shot in the eye in the Bronx, NYPD says
A woman was shot and killed in the University Heights section of the Bronx near Bronx Community College overnight, the NYPD said.
It happened during what witnesses described as a party with several dozen people in attendance inside a University Heights park.
Police responded to a call for an assault just after 12:10 a.m. Thursday, outside a building on Aqueduct Avenue. When they arrived, they found 23-year-old Reyna Caceres with a gunshot wound to her left eye.
She was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she died, according to officers.
Loved ones visiting the scene were too upset to speak.
Police believe Caceres was not the intended target, and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Neighbors said they heard gunshots in quick succession, and then there was chaos.
The incident happened just steps away from a playground and an elementary school. One parent said he didn't feel safe taking his child to school in the neighborhood.
While the violence is disturbing, some residents say they have grown used to it.
"Unfortunately, this is a socio-economically kind of underprivileged community," one man said. "When you don't have the right resources and opportunity for youth and the kids to be able to expend some of that energy, and to be able to find an outlet that's outside of the streets, unfortunately, that's what happens."
Police stood guard outside the victim's apartment building on Davidson Avenue, where relatives were grieving.
Police haven't made any arrests and have not released a description of the possible suspect. Investigators also have not said what may have led up to the shooting.
Overnight, detectives were seen searching the area for evidence and possible surveillance video to track down the shooter.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on X, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
