On a summer morning in the Bronx, tragedy struck in front of a strip mall on Castle Hill Avenue. On Thursday, June 21, 2018, at approximately 9:44 a.m., 33-year-old Mustafa Tarver was fatally shot in what police believe was a targeted attack. The gunman, who approached Tarver and his friend, Christopher Alleyne, opened fire, striking both men in the head.
A third individual, 45-year-old Arileida Jimenez, who was reportedly handing out flyers nearby, was also struck by the gunfire and fatally wounded in the torso.
Emergency services rushed to the scene in the vicinity of Castle Hill Avenue and Randall Avenue and transported all three victims to Jacobi Medical Center, where they were pronounced deceased. Witnesses described hearing at least six shots, and one saw one of the victims collapse near a deli. The incident, which unfolded in broad daylight, sent shockwaves through the Castle Hill neighborhood, particularly among residents of the nearby Castle Hill Houses where Tarver and Alleyne lived. Friends of Tarver remembered him as a 'lovely person,' and a memorial with dozens of candles was created in their memory.
The New York Police Department quickly launched an investigation into the triple homicide. Surveillance footage captured a person of interest fleeing the scene on foot towards Randall Avenue. The individual was described as a dark-skinned male wearing a black hat, camouflage shorts, and a grey long-sleeved shirt over a t-shirt with black sneakers. Police later identified the suspect as Samuel Cross, who was 51 years old at the time of the incident.
Despite identifying a suspect and releasing surveillance footage to the public, an immediate arrest was not made. The case gained further attention when it was featured on John Walsh's show 'In Pursuit with John Walsh' in August 2022, in an effort to generate new leads for the fugitive who had remained at large for four years. The investigation into the deaths of Mustafa Tarver, Christopher Alleyne, and Arileida Jimenez remains ongoing, with law enforcement continuing to seek information from the public to bring the perpetrator to justice.
