A quiet Thursday morning near Jerome Avenue and Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx turned deadly when a 21-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to the head. He later died at St. Barnabas Hospital. Family and police identified him as 21-year-old Assam Alshaif, and the killing has left neighbors rattled as detectives work to piece together what happened. No arrests have been made.
What police say
According to The Bronx Daily, officers from the 52nd Precinct responded to a 911 call on Thursday, March 26 at about 9:48 a.m. and found Alshaif unconscious and unresponsive near Jerome Avenue and Bainbridge Avenue with a gunshot wound to the head. EMS rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he died of his injuries, the outlet reports.
Police say Alshaif’s address is being withheld while the investigation continues. Detectives have been canvassing the surrounding blocks for any witnesses and leads.
Investigation and tips
NYPD detectives say no one is in custody and the probe remains very much active, with officers reviewing any available surveillance video and re-interviewing people in the area.
The department’s Crime Stoppers program is taking anonymous tips by phone at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and by text at 274637, then entering TIP577, according to NYPD. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers mobile app. Police are urging anyone who knows anything about the shooting to come forward.
Neighborhood context
The killing adds to a worrying stretch of violence along the Bainbridge Avenue corridor. Two men were killed in separate shootings on Bainbridge Avenue during the same weekend, highlighting a troubling pattern on nearby blocks, according to News 12 New York.
Local coverage has described the borough as on edge after a spate of shootings and stabbings, and city officials have promised targeted policing changes in response to the recent spike in violence, per Bronx on edge after a bloody week.
Detectives have asked anyone who may have seen the incident or who has video from the area to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers or call the 52nd Precinct. The case remains under active investigation and authorities say tips can be submitted anonymously online or by phone, according to The Bronx Daily. Further details were not immediately available.
