In the late evening hours of June 19, 2023, a dispute in Harlem culminated in the tragic death of 38-year-old Paul 'Polo' Gonzalez. The male victim was discovered by police just before 10 p.m. in front of his own apartment building at 230 West 140th St., having sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Emergency services arrived swiftly and transported him to Harlem Hospital, but his life could not be saved.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a neighbor, Freddie
Gaetan, 29, who resided just down the street from Gonzalez. Investigators tracked Gaetan to a motor inn located in Stony Point, a suburb in Rockland County. With the cooperation of the Stony Point Police Department, the NYPD Warrant Squad apprehended him.
Gaetan was subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Gonzalez's death. While early reports from police sources indicated that a motive was not immediately clear and the nature of the relationship between the two men was unknown, another source suggested the killing was the result of a falling out over a robbery they had carried out together. Gaetan was scheduled for arraignment in New York County Criminal Court.
