In the early hours of a spring morning, the life of 23-year-old Rodney Saunders was violently cut short in an ambush just steps from his Yonkers home. On May 1, 2014, at approximately 2 a.m., Saunders, a male resident of the city, was walking on Woodsworth Avenue near Gold Street when a minivan abruptly stopped. Two men emerged from the vehicle and opened fire, unleashing a hail of bullets in his direction.
Saunders desperately tried to reach the safety of his house, but he was struck six times by the gunfire. One of the fatal shots pierced his chest, tearing through his heart and lungs. The brazen attack also endangered a witness who was looking out of a nearby window; a bullet struck the window guard, grazing the person's shoulder. The two assailants then quickly fled the scene in the waiting minivan.
The investigation that followed the shooting led authorities to identify one of the gunmen as Edwin Palestina, a 24-year-old from Yonkers. A significant breakthrough in the case came over a year later when, on June 16, 2015, Palestina was located and arrested in Houston, Texas, by Yonkers detectives and the FBI. He was subsequently charged for his role in the death of Rodney Saunders. The motive for the killing was believed to be related to a personal dispute, though specific details were not publicly disclosed.
In February 2016, Edwin Palestina pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree attempted murder. The prosecution asserted that the attack was a premeditated act, with Palestina and his accomplice lying in wait for Saunders. As a result of his guilty plea, Palestina was sentenced to 25 years in state prison. While his conviction brought a measure of justice for Saunders' family, the second individual involved in the deadly ambush remained unidentified and at large, with authorities continuing their efforts to bring all responsible parties to justice.
