Celestino Vasquez Patricio was a 25-year-old Hispanic man described by his older brother as an innocent, hard-working, and caring individual. A devoted father to two young girls, he had moved to Yonkers, New York, from Mexico in 2019 and had big dreams for a future that would make his daughters proud.
In the early morning hours of September 8, 2024, Vasquez Patricio and a friend left a pool hall and were waiting in line to get into the Go Sports Bar & Lounge on South Broadway.
It was just before 4 a.m., and another man, Carlos Villanueva, had been on the block harassing pedestrians and boasting that he had a gun. Villanueva confronted Vasquez Patricio, mistakenly thinking he had shouted something at him. He began menacing him, lifting his shirt to reveal a handgun.
Security guards from the bar tried to calm Villanueva down. As Vasquez Patricio and his friend decided to leave, another confrontation ensued. Villanueva pulled out a 9 mm Ruger pistol, pistol-whipped Vasquez Patricio in the head twice, then stepped back and fired a single shot into his chest. Police officers on patrol nearby heard the gunshot and immediately responded to the scene.
The officers found Vasquez Patricio in the street and began rendering aid. He was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries. While some officers attended to the victim, others canvassed the area and saw Villanueva fleeing around the corner onto Ludlow Street. After a brief chase, they took him into custody. During the pursuit, Villanueva had thrown his handgun into a yard, and it was later recovered by police.
Carlos Villanueva, a 31-year-old Yonkers resident, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. A prosecutor called the killing "utterly senseless." In April 2025, as jury selection was set to begin for his trial, Villanueva pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter. On August 1, 2025, a Westchester County judge sentenced him to 21 years in state prison.
