Gunman Who Killed Man In Inwood Caught, Police Say

INWOOD, NY — Police arrested a man accused of firing the shot that killed a 20-year-old walking through Inwood with friends and family, an NYPD spokesperson said.

Jonathan Rodriguez, 29, is facing charges of murder, weapons and drug possession in connection with the fatal shooting of Inwood resident Luis Dela Cruz, police said. Dela Cruz was shot to death on the night of Thursday, Nov. 14 while walking on Thayer Street near Sherman Avenue, police said.

Medics rushed Dela Cruz to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, but were unable to save the man, police said. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the legs, police said.

Family members told the New York Dialy News that Dela Cruz worked as a lifeguard and has aspirations of becoming a professional rapper. Dela Cruz's twin brother Andri was with him at the time of the shooting and told the Daily News that the gunshots came from behind them as they walked up Thayer Street.

The shooting was the sixth homicide reported this year in the NYPD's 34th Precinct — which spans the area above West 179th Street in Manhattan — according to precinct crime data as of Nov. 10. Murders in the precinct have increased substantially when compared to just one reported homicide in the 34th Precinct for the entirety of 2018.