Delila Vasquez was a 20-year-old Hispanic woman whose family said she dreamed of getting her own apartment and building a life for herself outside of her Bronx neighborhood. Her mother, Cynthia Duffy, later described her as a wonderful person and recalled speaking with her just two hours before she was killed, with no sense that anything was wrong.
On the evening of March 17, 2021, Delila was inside a vacant third-floor apartment on Hull Avenue in the Norwood section of the Bronx.
The apartment was known to police as a hangout for gang members. Around 10:10 p.m., she was shot in the head. After the shooting, several people, believed to be members of the Bloods gang, were seen leaving the building, and a gun was reportedly thrown from a window. Responding police officers found Delila still alive and rushed her to Jacobi Medical Center in their squad car, but she died from her injury.
Investigators learned that while Delila was not affiliated with a gang, she was known to associate with them. Her family was left devastated. “Whoever did this needs to pay,” her uncle, Daniel Duffy, said. “Something was taken from somebody and the person who did it needs to face their consequences.”
In the days that followed, community members and religious leaders gathered with Delila’s family for a prayer vigil at the scene of the shooting. They mourned her loss and called for an end to the gun violence that had surged in the area. Through tears, Delila’s mother made an emotional plea to the public. “I need justice, I really do!” she cried out. “I need help, I need everybody to communicate. Everybody say what they know. I’m begging you.”
The investigation led police to arrest two individuals in connection with the case: 20-year-old Precious Williams and an unnamed 16-year-old male. They were initially charged with criminal possession of a weapon and a controlled substance. As the case proceeded, Precious Williams pleaded guilty to and was convicted of second-degree manslaughter for the killing of Delila Vasquez.
