A 59-year-old Bronx woman has been charged with the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man near her apartment building. Denise Aponte is accused of gunning down Randy Blanche in Morris Heights, a neighborhood in the Bronx, on Sunday night. According to police reports cited by Gothamist, Blanche sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head and was pronounced dead at BronxCare Hospital.
NYPD officers apprehended Aponte on Monday morning. She is currently facing murder, manslaughter, and criminal weapons possession charges. As officials strive to piece together the events leading up to the incident, they are investigating to determine whether there was any acquaintance between Aponte and Blanche. Gothamist notes that Aponte resides on Popham Avenue, directly across from where the crime occurred, while Blanche lived more than a mile away. Despite a pending arraignment and the absence of available information regarding her legal representation, this case has already started to ripple through the community.
The shooting took place at 160 West 174th St. around 8 p.m. This marks the fourth gun-related death in the 46th Precinct this year—a precinct that encompasses Morris Heights as well as Fordham, University Heights, and Mount Hope. Shooting incidents in this area have seemingly declined, with police data indicating 21 shootings through mid-November as compared to 47 during the same period the previous year. Bronx News12 captured video footage showing police arresting multiple individuals at the scene, but no further arrests have been announced.
The Bronx community is awaiting further details as Aponte's legal proceedings unfold. The nature of the interaction and the circumstances under which the tragedy happened remain to be fully understood. The ongoing investigation is expected to soon shed light on whether this was a targeted act or one of more indiscriminate violence.
