On a Monday morning in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, 64-year-old Valeria Ortega was on her way to the supermarket, pulling a shopping cart. It was December 26, 2022, at approximately 11:31 a.m., when gunfire erupted near the intersection of Dyckman Street and Vermilyea Avenue. Tragically, a stray bullet struck Ortega in the head. First responders rushed her to Harlem Hospital, but she could not be saved and was pronounced dead.
Ortega, a mother and grandmother, was an innocent
bystander in the senseless act of violence. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from an argument between two males on a scooter and an individual in a car. Surveillance footage captured two people riding a scooter away from the scene, and the New York Police Department identified them as suspects. The gunfire also struck a parked SUV in the vicinity.
Her husband, Vicente Garcia, was devastated by the sudden loss of his wife of nearly four decades. He recalled his son approaching him in a panic after the shooting. Those who knew Ortega described her as a devoted family woman who cared deeply for those around her. She lived just a couple of blocks from where her life was tragically cut short.
In the wake of the shooting, the NYPD appealed to the public for any information that could lead to the capture of the individuals responsible for Valeria Ortega's death. As of late December 2022, no arrests had been made in connection with the homicide. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
