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Shooting during Hamilton Heights memorial wounds 2, including community matriarch
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 7, 2024
Modified May 7, 2024
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Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 7, 2024
Modified May 7, 2024
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A beloved matriarch of an Upper Manhattan block was one of two women struck by stray bullets on the street during a community memorial on Monday night for her own son, according to police and neighbors.
Residents of 550 West 144th St. in Hamilton Heights said shots fired by an unknown suspect hit a 63-year-old woman around 8:30 p.m., while she and her neighbors were holding a sidewalk memorial for her son, who died of an illness several years ago.
One of those neighbors, Ayesha Culmer, said she heard about six shots as the group was gathered outside. Some said they initially thought it was the sound of fireworks, but then realized the situation was more serious when they saw the 63-year-old woman, known as “Ms. Cookie,” on the ground.
“Everybody’s like frantic,” said Culmer. “And she happened to get hit.”
Police did not identify "Ms. Cookie" or the other victim, a 39-year-old woman, though they said the older woman was shot in her left underarm and right hand and the younger woman was shot in her right leg. Both were taken to Harlem Hospital in stable condition. No suspects or arrests had been announced as of mid-Tuesday afternoon.
The residents said they were shaken by the random violence, especially while the suspect remains at large and no clear motive for the shooting has emerged. They said it was unlikely that either victim was intentionally targeted.
“Cookie is like the godmother of the block, because she’s always here, she’s always helping people, she’s always giving food to people,” said Dolores Peña.
“She’s practically raised all of us, the younger generation on this block,” Culmer said.
Both neighbors said they now plan to advocate for more safety measures in their neighborhood.
“We'll go to the [police] precinct meeting and … we're going to bring them out here,” Peña said. “We are going to make it happen, because it could have been any one of us last night. It could have been any of our kids, any one of our grandkids.”
Balloons from the memorial gathering were still strung outside the building on Tuesday morning, and faint smears of blood could be seen in the inner courtyard. Neighbors said Ms. Cookie dragged herself there and asked them to call an ambulance after she’d been shot.
Shootings are relatively uncommon in the 30th Precinct, which encompasses the West Harlem neighborhoods of Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill, along with Riverside Park and Jackie Robinson Park. NYPD data compiled by Gothamist shows two people were fatally shot in the precinct last year in two separate incidents.
Two shootings have been reported in the precinct so far this year, and only one of them was fatal. Omar Espinal, 39, died in January after he was shot in a car on West 135th Street.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
new york city
west harlem
public safety
hamilton heights
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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