Man Shot Dead Near Inwood Street Corner, Police Say

INWOOD, NY — A young man was shot to death Thursday night while walking with a group of friends and family near an Inwood street corner, police said.

Luis Dela Cruz, 20, died after being brought to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, police said. The man was shot multiple times in the legs near Thayer Street and Sherman Avenue, said police.

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.

No arrests have been made and police are still investigating the shooting, an NYPD spokesman said.

Thursday night's shooting is 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.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477).