In the Bronx on a Friday afternoon, February 10, 2023, a dispute that began outside a Popeyes restaurant on East Tremont Avenue escalated into a fatal quadruple shooting. This tragic event ultimately claimed the life of 37-year-old Devren Smith. The gunfire erupted around 2:30 p.m. near Walter Gladwin Park, leaving four men wounded.
Devren Smith was shot in the torso and rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical condition.
His younger brother, 24-year-old Jeremiah Smith, was also shot in the torso and was pronounced dead at the same hospital shortly after the incident. Two other men, aged 36 and 58, were also struck by gunfire but were expected to survive their injuries. Two days after the shooting, on Sunday, February 12, 2023, Devren Smith succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting led to the swift apprehension of two suspects. The day after the incident, police arrested 51-year-old Salvatore Rivera, a Bronx resident. He was charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. The following day, a second suspect, 32-year-old Jose Parilla of Manhattan, was taken into custody. Parilla faced charges of murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon.
In the wake of the brothers' deaths, family and community members gathered for a vigil to mourn their loss and speak out against gun violence. They released balloons in memory of Devren and Jeremiah Smith, whose lives were cut short in a moment of violence that shook the neighborhood.
