In the Bronx, a violent rivalry between two drug gangs culminated in the death of 24-year-old David Rivera. On the morning of November 24, 2015, Rivera was shot multiple times in front of a daycare center near 175th Street and Crotona Avenue. He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The brazen daylight shooting was the result of an ongoing turf war over drug-selling territories in the area.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on Ruben Pizzaro, a
23-year-old member of a rival gang, as the primary suspect. The conflict between the two men had reportedly been escalating, with some accounts suggesting that the violence may have also been fueled by personal jealousy. Prior to the fatal shooting, there had been several violent confrontations between the warring factions, including exchanges of gunfire.
Following an intensive manhunt involving the FBI and the NYPD, Pizzaro was apprehended in January 2016. During his time as a fugitive, he was involved in other violent crimes, including a carjacking and another shooting. A jury found Pizzaro guilty of David Rivera's murder in June 2017. In addition to the murder charge, he faced a litany of other charges, including drug dealing and weapons possession. In 2018, Ruben Pizzaro was sentenced to 75 years in prison for the murder of David Rivera, a conviction that authorities hoped would serve as a step toward curbing gang violence in the borough.
