In the early morning hours of July 25, 2016, in the Bronx, New York, 37-year-old Jahaira Duverge was fatally shot. The incident occurred around 5 a.m. in front of a deli on Weeks Avenue in the Mount Hope neighborhood. Duverge, a mother of four, was with a friend, 33-year-old Beramy Garcia, when a shirtless gunman opened fire on them. The shooting took place hours after the conclusion of the annual Dominican Day Parade.
Duverge was struck in the torso and rushed to St.
Barnabas Hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries. Garcia was shot in the head, back, and wrist and was pronounced dead at the scene. Tragically, this was not the first time gun violence had struck Duverge's life; her first husband had been fatally shot nearly a block away from where she was killed.
Initially, police questioned Duverge's then-husband, who said he had left her at the deli to go to another store and returned to find the chaotic aftermath. He was later released after witnesses and video evidence cleared him. The investigation continued, and authorities recovered a revolver near the scene of the crime.
In October 2016, police arrested a suspect in connection with the double homicide. Luis Chacon, 37, of Mount Hope, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Jahaira Duverge and Beramy Garcia. The day after the shooting, the NYPD had released information seeking Chacon. Reports indicated that Duverge and Garcia were acquainted but not romantically involved.
