On a Sunday afternoon in the Bronx, a burst of violence shattered the summer quiet. It was July 21, 2024, when police received a 911 call reporting a person shot in the vicinity of 2010 Bruckner Boulevard. Arriving at the scene in the Castle Hill neighborhood, officers discovered 52-year-old Jose Baez, a male resident of the Bronx, with a gunshot wound to his head.
Emergency medical services were dispatched to the location and quickly transported Baez to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi.
Despite their efforts, he was pronounced deceased at the hospital. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police began their search for a suspect, described at the time as a man wearing a white shirt and black pants. The investigation into the motive and the circumstances leading to the fatal encounter was launched by the 43rd Precinct.
Two days later, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, an arrest was made in connection with the death of Jose Baez. Julio Ramirez, a 28-year-old male also from the Bronx, was taken into custody by detectives within the confines of the same precinct that was investigating the crime. Ramirez was subsequently charged with murder in the second degree, robbery in the first degree, and criminal possession of a loaded firearm. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to piece together the events that led to the deadly shooting.
