In the Bronx, a terrible event cut short the life of 57-year-old Francisco Ferrer. On the evening of October 30, 2024, a violent encounter unfolded inside an apartment on Southern Boulevard in the Longwood section of the borough. Ferrer, along with his wife, Paula Lopez, who was also 57, were fatally shot. The suddenness of the violence left the community in shock and mourning the loss of two of its members.
Responding to the incident, police discovered the grim scene within the
second-floor apartment. Both Ferrer and Lopez had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The investigation quickly pointed to a suspect who was tragically close to the victims. Evidence indicated that the perpetrator was Paula Lopez's 34-year-old son, Tonatihu Rojas Lopez. It is believed that he was responsible for the deaths of his mother and his stepfather.
After the shootings of his mother and stepfather, Tonatihu Rojas Lopez was found outside the building with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. A firearm was recovered near him. The incident was ultimately determined to be a murder-suicide, with Tonatihu Rojas Lopez as the sole suspect in the deaths of Francisco Ferrer and Paula Lopez. As the perpetrator died by his own hand, there were no arrests or subsequent legal proceedings.
