On a late spring evening in the Bronx, a dispute inside an apartment building turned fatal, ending the life of Marcus Henderson. A 37-year-old Black man, Marcus lived at 1825 Topping Avenue in the borough's Mount Hope neighborhood. The events that led to his death unfolded at his own home on Friday, May 24, 2024.
Just before 6 p.m., a gunman opened fire inside the building on Topping Avenue near East 176th Street. Marcus was struck by a single bullet in his right leg.
Though the wound might not have seemed immediately life-threatening, the projectile had severed a critical artery. New York City Police Department officers from the 46th Precinct responded to a 911 call at approximately 5:57 p.m. and found Marcus wounded.
Emergency medical services rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital for treatment, but the injury proved too severe. A short time after arriving at the hospital, Marcus Henderson was pronounced deceased. Investigators remained at the scene, working to piece together what had happened. It was not immediately clear whether the shooting took place inside an apartment or in a common area of the building.
During their preliminary investigation at the scene, police identified a person of interest and took him into custody for questioning. The man was Brandon Austin, a 29-year-old who also lived at 1825 Topping Avenue with Marcus. The following day, Saturday, May 25, Austin was formally arrested in connection with the shooting.
Authorities charged Austin with murder in the second degree, aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. While an arrest was made swiftly, a motive for the deadly shooting was not immediately disclosed by police. As of the arrest in May 2024, the investigation was considered ongoing as the case against Austin proceeded through the court system.
