On a Sunday evening in the Bronx, what began as a celebration of Puerto Rican pride ended in tragedy for 34-year-old Jeremy Cancel. On June 11, 2023, following the day's parade festivities, a dispute that reportedly started over a minor car accident escalated into deadly violence. At approximately 9:15 p.m. in front of 1787 West Farms Road, a gathering of friends, including Cancel, was interrupted by gunfire.
When police from the 42nd Precinct arrived at the scene, they found Cancel with
a gunshot wound to his torso. Emergency services transported him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. Two other 29-year-old men were also shot during the incident. One suffered a gunshot wound to the torso, and the other was shot in the buttocks; both were taken to the same hospital in stable condition.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrests of two men on June 21. Javier Munoz, 29, from the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, and Joshua Rivera, 22, of Queens, were taken into custody. Both men were charged with murder, manslaughter, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the fatal shooting of Cancel.
Friends remembered Jeremy Cancel, known by the nickname 'Big Red,' as a happy and funny individual who was not known to get into trouble. He was a resident of Yonkers, New York, and leaves behind a fiancée and two young children. A close friend described him as a man who should have been there to see his children grow and to share a life with his soulmate.
