In the early hours of Monday morning, April 15, 2024, tragedy struck in the Bronx, New York, as two Venezuelan nationals were victims of a brutal shooting incident. The episode occurred near a local McDonald’s on East 149th Street and Morris Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood.
According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, the victims, Adrian Mendoza, 24, and Jhombeyker Bisbal, 31, were seated in their 2015 Nissan Rogue when a gray Honda Civic with Virginia license plates pulled up beside them around 4 a.m.
A passenger exited the Civic, walked past Mendoza and Bisbal’s vehicle, then returned, approaching the driver’s side of the car and firing at Mendoza, hitting him in the head and torso. The shooter then moved to the front of the vehicle and shot through the windshield multiple times, striking Bisbal in the chest, arm, and shoulder, before fleeing on foot. Police found at least 12 9 mm shell casings at the scene and noted eight bullet holes in the Rogue.
Both men were rushed to nearby Lincoln Hospital. Despite extensive lifesaving measures, Mendoza died from his injuries, and Bisbal was left in critical condition, fighting for his life.
Notably, neither of the shooting victims had prior arrests in New York. However, both had previous encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection—Mendoza had been arrested in Texas in August, and the same agency had detained Bisbal in May.
According to the police, the victims were found with wire transfer receipts and had been sending money to Colombia. Chief Kenny noted it was uncertain whether the victims were involved in a migrant robbery ring that stole phones, unlocked them, and sent them to Colombia.
While the motive behind the shooting remains unclear, the implications reverberate through the Bronx and beyond, highlighting issues of security and the need for vigilant community policing.
The NYPD is currently investigating the incident and actively searching for the gunman and the gray Honda Civic involved in the shooting. No arrests have been made in the case.
