In the early morning hours of October 5, 2014, a violent altercation erupted outside the Xtreme Lounge on Valentine Avenue in the Fordham section of the Bronx, forever altering the course of several lives. What began as an attack on 21-year-old Armani Gonzalez quickly escalated into a chaotic brawl involving baseball bats, knives, and ultimately, gunfire. When the violence subsided, Gonzalez lay gravely wounded, having been shot in the head.
Another man, 24-year-old Dennis Rodriguez, was also shot and tragically died at the scene.
For nearly three months, Armani Gonzalez clung to life in critical condition at St. Barnabas Hospital. His fight ended on December 27, 2014, when he succumbed to the devastating injuries he had sustained. The melee that led to the deaths of Gonzalez and Rodriguez also left four other men injured with various wounds, including blunt force trauma to the head, a gunshot to the leg, and slash wounds to the torso and face.
In the wake of the deadly encounter, the New York Police Department identified and arrested two teenage suspects, 19-year-old Zaire Bansey of Castle Hill and 18-year-old Peter Hajdari of Westchester Square. Both were charged with a litany of serious offenses, including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon. Following their arrests, both Bansey and Hajdari were held at Rikers Island. In subsequent court appearances, Hajdari was denied bail. The Bronx District Attorney's office awaited a determination from the medical examiner to see if the charges against the two teenagers would be upgraded following Gonzalez's death.
