In the early hours of March 14, 2015, a conversation outside a Ridgewood pool hall turned deadly, leaving a young man's life cut short. Eric Santiago, a 21-year-old male from Bushwick, was talking with two other people just before 1:15 a.m. outside the Arena Billiards Hall on St. Nicholas Avenue. Without warning, a man ran up to the group and fired two shots at Santiago, striking him once in the torso.
Santiago was privately transported to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where he
ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The shooter, who was seen wearing dark clothing and a jacket with 'USA' on the back, fled the scene on foot. The 104th Precinct Detective Squad immediately began an investigation into what was described as a cold and calculating act of violence.
Several days after the fatal shooting, authorities arrested 20-year-old Ricardo Delgado of Bedford-Stuyvesant. He was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Delgado's case went to trial, and after three weeks of testimony and deliberation, a jury found him guilty of the charges in April 2017.
In July 2017, Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory L. Lasak sentenced Ricardo Delgado, then 22, to 25 years to life in prison. The conviction and lengthy sentence brought a measure of justice for Eric Santiago and his family, concluding a tragic chapter of gun violence that shook the Ridgewood community.
