The sound of gunfire shattered a quiet early Thursday morning in the University Heights section of the Bronx after a 23-year-old woman was killed near a neighborhood playground where people had gathered for what police believe was a memorial celebration.
Police said Reyna Caceres was found with a gunshot wound to her left eye just after 12:10 a.m. along Aqueduct Avenue, near Aqueduct Lands Playground. Officers rushed to the scene after receiving a 911 call reporting an assault. EMS crews transported her to St. Barnabas Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her life.
By sunrise, yellow police tape stretched across sections of the playground and nearby sidewalk as detectives searched for shell casings, surveillance footage, and any clue that could lead them to the shooter. Plastic cups, bottles, a hookah pipe, and music equipment were still scattered across the area, painting the picture of a gathering that had suddenly turned deadly.
Investigators believe someone dressed in black opened fire into a crowd gathered near the playground. Police sources said Caceres may not have been the intended target. The shooting happened steps away from both a children’s playground and an elementary school, leaving neighbors shaken and frustrated over another act of gun violence hitting the Bronx overnight.
Witnesses told reporters they heard multiple gunshots echo through the block shortly after midnight. Some residents said there had been more than 30 people outside listening to music before panic broke out. One woman living nearby said she looked out her window after hearing shots and saw a young woman covered in blood.
Crime scene investigators spent hours combing through the area Thursday morning. Detectives also examined a gray Hyundai parked near the scene as part of the investigation. Police helicopters were reportedly heard circling overhead while officers searched for possible suspects in surrounding streets.
As of Thursday evening, no arrests had been made and investigators had not released a suspect description or official motive. The NYPD continues to review surveillance cameras from nearby buildings and businesses as the homicide investigation remains active.
Friends and neighbors in University Heights are now left mourning another young life lost far too soon. What began as a late-night gathering near Aqueduct Lands Playground ended with a family grieving and a community once again searching for answers after violence erupted in the middle of their neighborhood.
