A 47-year-old man was shot in the back Sunday just before noon inside an apartment building at 508 East 163rd Street in the Melrose section of the Bronx, according to police. The shooter ran from the building after the incident, and as of Sunday evening no arrests had been made.
Police told News 12 Bronx that an argument between the victim and another person turned violent inside the building. A description of the shooter was not immediately available. NYPD officers gathered evidence outside the building following the shooting, and paramedics transported the wounded man to Lincoln Hospital, where he is expected to recover, per police.
The building at 508 East 163rd Street is Building A2 of Boricua Village, a 13-story affordable housing complex with 85 residential apartment units, according to Ettinger Engineering Associates. It was completed around 2010 as part of a 4.5-acre mixed-use development in Melrose Commons, an area shaped by a 33-block urban renewal master plan led by the community development nonprofit Nos Quedamos, Hoodline has previously reported.
Nearby Hospital Handles the Region's Trauma Cases
Lincoln Hospital, formally NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln at 234 East 149th Street, operates the busiest Level 1 Trauma Center in the northeast region, according to NYC Health + Hospitals. The building is in the Bronx.
Should investigators identify and arrest a suspect, intentionally shooting someone and causing serious physical injury constitutes Assault in the First Degree under New York Penal Law Section 120.10 — a Class B violent felony, according to Tilem & Associates, PC. It remains unknown whether the victim and shooter lived in the building or whether surveillance cameras inside the complex captured the dispute or the gunman's escape.
Another Chapter in a Troubled Stretch of Melrose
Sunday's shooting adds to a string of gun violence within a few blocks of East 163rd Street. East 149th Street was also part of the area's recent news coverage. The article also points to unresolved violence in the neighborhood.
Violence has repeatedly touched this stretch of the South Bronx.
Citywide Numbers Show a Different Trend
The article does not provide verified citywide figures for comparison.
For now, the investigation into Sunday's shooting continues, with police still working to identify the shooter who fled the building. No arrests had been announced as of Sunday evening.
