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Three Murders in 52nd Over One-Week Period

By JORDAN MOSS and DAVID GREENE

Disrupting a relative period of calm in the 52nd Precinct, there were three murders in just two weeks in 52nd Precinct from April 9 to 16.

There had been only one murder in the first three months of the year, a March 17 shooting at a barber shop on Webster Avenue.

Following are descriptions of each of the incidents:

• On April 9, Domingo Rojas of 2580 Bainbridge Ave., was stabbed once in the neck in front of 2664 Grand Concourse following a dispute. Rojas was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead. There were no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.

• On April 12, three teenagers were stabbed with a machete on the platform of the 183rd Street station of the No. 4 train and one of them, Marvel Martinez, an 18-year-old DeWitt Clinton High School student, was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital. Alex Ramirez, 15, was charged with second-degree murder and two other arrests were made in connection with the murder.

Though those involved were reported to have been involved in gangs, Deputy Inspector Joseph Hoch, commander of the 52nd Precinct, said that a dispute over a female triggered the incident.

The murder was originally reported by police to have occurred in the 46th Precinct as three of the four corners at that station are within its boundaries. But the station itself is considered to be in the 52nd Precinct and the incident was later determined to have taken place there.

• On April 16, an unidentified gunman shot Keeno Simpson, 21, of East Kingsbridge Road, after an argument while he was parked in front of 3450 Gates Place. The shooter fired several shots into the car, striking Simpson in the chest and neck. Simpson attempted to flee the scene but plowed into several parked cars at the location. The victim was taken to nearby North Central Bronx Hospital, where he died a short time later.

Police recovered a 2001 Chevrolet Impala with seven bullet holes in it at the scene.  Police theorize Simpson returned fire but only one weapon was recovered, apparently tossed on a nearby rooftop by the perpetrator.

Bassam Magib, an employee of Taiz Grocery at 5 E. Gun Hill Road, stated, “I just heard boom, boom, boom ... like seven shots, and then I heard two cars pull away.”

In other 52nd Precinct news, earlier this month quick-thinking cops on patrol in North Fordham arrested a woman who had been threatening area residents with a hypodermic needle after recognizing her from a wanted poster they had received at roll call. The woman, Carmen Gaston, 43, allegedly stole cell phones from two young women after brandishing the needle and saying that she had AIDS and the needle was contaminated with it.

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