In the Pelham Bay Park section of the Bronx, a dispute on the evening of February 6, 2021, turned deadly, claiming the life of 22-year-old Dane Salmon. That Saturday, at approximately 7:08 p.m., police responded to a 911 call regarding a shooting at the corner of Westchester Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard. Upon arrival, officers from the 45th Precinct discovered Salmon with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.
Emergency medical services rushed him to Jacobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The incident reportedly stemmed from an argument inside a bodega involving Salmon and two other men. Following the dispute, at least one of the men allegedly drew a gun and shot Salmon multiple times in his torso, right arm, and leg. Authorities noted that Salmon was unarmed at the time of the altercation. In the initial stages of the investigation, police were searching for a male suspect believed to be in his 20s.
The investigation progressed, and on March 11, 2021, an arrest was made in the case. Kelvin Ortiz, a 35-year-old man from Avon, Ohio, was taken into custody in connection with the fatal shooting. Ortiz was subsequently charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon. His arrest took place in Ohio, where members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force apprehended him. During a search of his residence in Avon, a firearm was recovered by detectives.
