More security cameras are coming to a Bronx district where a mother bringing food home to her children was recently killed by a stray bullet, according to local politicians.
Bystander Cindy Diaz, 48, was fatally shot in the arm and in the torso on January 6, 2017 around 5:37 p.m. by 2012 Boston Rdoa, an area of Bronx represented by City Councilman Ritchie Torres and State Assemblyman Luis Sepúlveda.
Torres has since announced that he will allocate $175,000 in funding to the NYPD, in addition to the $350,000 he had already allocated, to be used for security cameras and safety improvements in his district. He is urging police to put the cameras in West Farms, where Diaz was shot and killed.
“This horrific tragedy has our entire community speechless, and we must act now in order to prevent future acts of violence,” Torres said. “By allocating more resources for safety improvements and pedestrian security, and by working together with the NYPD and community leaders, we hope to curb criminal activity in West Farms.”
Sepúlveda has allocated $500,000 for police cameras and security in the neighborhood, and a lighting study has been requested from the Department of Transportation to install new lighting fixtures in the neighborhood, according to Torres’ office.
The DOT will be studying the area, which should take about 12 weeks, according to the agency.
“This is a tragedy that unfortunately keeps occurring in neighborhoods where guns, gangs and violence continue to be a blight,” Sepúlveda said in a statement. “Hopefully, with united efforts from police, residents and elected officials, we can fight back.”
Police have released video of a person wanted for questioning in Diaz’s murder and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderer, but said on Monday they have no updates on the case.
The locations for all of the security cameras are still being determined, according to the NYPD.
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