In the late afternoon of a crisp autumn day in Harlem, a long-simmering dispute between neighbors erupted into a tragic sequence of violence that left three people dead, including 78-year-old Hampton Smith. On October 18, 2019, the quiet of a West 131st Street apartment building was shattered by the sound of gunshots, the culmination of years of acrimony between Smith and his downstairs neighbor.
Hampton Smith, known affectionately as 'Smitty' and the superintendent for three buildings
in the neighborhood, was a familiar and friendly face in the community. He lived with his girlfriend of many years, 62-year-old Yvette Rivera. Their life together was tragically cut short by their neighbor, 59-year-old Bruce Anderson, a former construction worker living with a disability. Residents of the building were aware of the ongoing conflict between Anderson and the couple, which often revolved around complaints of noise.
On that fateful Friday, the dispute escalated with deadly finality. Anderson confronted Smith in the first-floor hallway and shot him in the head. He then proceeded to the second floor, where he also fatally shot Rivera. After the shootings, Anderson barricaded himself inside his own apartment. When police arrived in response to reports of gunfire, they found Smith's body in the hallway. From behind his closed door, Anderson defiantly yelled at the officers, 'Come and get it!'
As the situation intensified, smoke began to pour from Anderson's apartment. He had set fire to his residence in an apparent attempt to either cover his crimes or create further chaos. The responding officers from the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit were forced to breach the apartment. Inside, they found a chaotic and dangerous scene with the fire spreading. In the bathroom, they discovered Bruce Anderson, who had taken his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The fire required the response of over 100 firefighters to extinguish. In the end, the building that had been a home became a crime scene, bearing witness to a grim murder-suicide that stemmed from a simple neighborhood disagreement. No arrests were made as the sole suspect was deceased.
