Bronx Shooting Leaves 2 Men, 1 Woman Dead

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Three people were shot to death Thursday morning in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx.

It happened around 9:45 a.m. Thursday outside a strip mall at the corner of Castle Hill and Randall avenues.

Police said two 33-year-old men and a 45-year-old woman were taken to Jacobi Medical Center where they were pronounced dead.

"I didn't think anybody got hit," said Ava Flores, a friend of one of the victims. "But now I hear it was my friend, he's like a son to me. I always tell him to stay away from everything. This is ridiculous, it's sad, this is ugly."

"First I heard about a good six shots, then one of the guys that got shot he ran right past me. And as soon as he got to the deli sign, that deli sign right there, he collapsed," witness Ray Capo said. "I ducked behind the iron, because I didn't know if the guy was going to come running, shooting this way."

It is unclear if the men were targeted in the attack, but police said the woman appeared to be an innocent bystander, CBS2's Marc Liverman reported.

A woman named Christina Aguilera was working at a nearby deli when one of the male victims came in to use the restroom. When he walked back out, she heard gunshots. The trained EMT ran outside to help.

"When I saw he was lifeless, I saw the blood. It looked like it hit the artery," she said.

She also saw a woman lying there.

"The other young lady that was under the car – I thought she was crying. When they said that she got shot too, she was lifeless, she wasn't moving," she said.

Police identified the victims as Mustafa Tarver, Christopher Alleyne and Arileida Jimenez.

Investigators spent hours searching the scene for clues, but so far, no one has been caught and no motive has been released.

Police said the suspected shooter fled on foot toward Randall Avenue.

In:
• Shooting
• Bronx
• Marc Liverman