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80-year-old Bronx man fatally shot by gunman riding a bicycle: NYPD
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 18, 2023
Modified Sep 18, 2023
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Brittany Kriegstein
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 18, 2023
Modified Sep 18, 2023
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An 80-year-old man was shot and killed on a Bronx street early Sunday by a bicycle-pedaling gunman wearing all black, police say.
Marcelino Valerio was returning to his home in Highbridge around 1 a.m. from a Sweet 16 party in New Rochelle when the shooter rode up near the corner of West 168th Street and Ogden Avenue. The suspect fired twice before pedaling off, police said.
Surveillance video obtained by the New York Post shows Valerio walking to his apartment building with his wife as the suspect pedals by, then doubles back and draws a pistol. The suspect, who was wearing a black ski mask, opened fire at close range, the video shows.
The NYPD said police officers on patrol nearby heard the shots and arrived at the scene to find Valerio with a gunshot wound to his head. Video shows a dozen officers swarming the sidewalk.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Valerio’s wife of 44 years told Gothamist she had no idea why her was husband was killed.
“My husband was a love. He was a very sweet person. He was quiet,” Luz Collado, 66, said in Spanish. “He wasn't a person with conflicts, he didn't stay out in the street. He was a homebody.”
She said the shooting “happened in a second.”
“It was a bullet for him, not for me,” Collado said.
Marcelino Valerio.
Courtesy of Luz Collado
Valerio and Collado have a daughter. Valerio also had three children from another relationship. Valerio and Collado were born in the Dominican Republic and met at a family barbecue in New York City.
Until he retired at 62, Valerio had worked as a porter and superintendent in in Manhattan and Yonkers. Collado said he stayed active as an octogenarian, fixing things around the house and helping her with errands.
“He fixed everything, he was really intelligent,” she said. “He was that age, but he didn’t seem like it. He was really strong and very active.
“He helped me with everything. We went everywhere together, we went shopping together and he would bring our shopping upstairs to the second floor. He was a good man.”
When asked what she’d miss most about her husband, Collado broke down.
“The company. Everything, everything,” she repeated.
No arrests have been made. Police had no information on a possible motive.
Collado said her 14-year-old granddaughter witnessed her grandfather get shot. “She’s really not doing well,” Collado said.
A young boy who lives on the first floor of her building also saw the violence. Collado said he was too traumatized to go to school Monday.
The shooting came four days after a 71-year-old woman was fatally shot in Mott Haven, about two miles from Highbridge. Police said she was an innocent bystander who got caught in the middle of a gun battle between two gang rivals.
NYPD data shows that shootings are down over 20% year to date in the 44th precinct, which includes Highbridge.
Only one other fatal shooting has occurred in the Highbridge neighborhood this year, according to NYPD homicide data compiled by Gothamist.
This article has been updated with additional information from the victim's wife.
Tagged
public safety
bronx
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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