Fordham Heights: Teacher shot dead in his classroom one day before classes began

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A teacher was released from the hospital after being shot at a Fordham Heights school Wednesday morning, police said. No schoolchildren were present at the time of the shooting.

During a press conference outside the Angelo Patri School MS 391 on the campus of the X225 Theater Arts Production Company School at 2190 Folin Street in Fordham Heights, police officials, including Inspector Tracy Mulet of the School Safety Division and Inspector Jeremy Scheublin, commanding officer of the 46th Precinct and former commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, along with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, said the incident occurred at 11:50 a.m. when officers from the 46th Precinct received a 911 call about a man shot.

Keiyon Ramsey, NYPD Deputy Chief of Police and Bronx Patrol Officer-in-Charge, said: “Upon arrival, officers located a 33-year-old man on the 6th floor of the building with a graze wound to his right palm. The male victim is a teacher at this school and was preparing his classroom for the first day of school tomorrow when a bullet entered the classroom through a window and struck him.”

He continued: “Fortunately, there were no children in or around the school at the time of the incident. Also, let me clarify that the bullet was not fired from inside the school, and at this stage of the investigation, we believe it was fired from a long distance. The school was not a target.”

Ramsey concluded, “Our victim was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was treated and released. A fired bullet was recovered in the classroom and is being examined by our evidence recovery team. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have additional security and police officers on site tomorrow to ensure that the children who come tomorrow and their parents feel safe and are safe.”

Deputy Chief Louis Deceglie, commanding officer of the Bronx Detective Bureau, said the bureau is working hard to determine exactly where the shot came from and who fired it. “We are currently searching all the rooftops in the area for ballistics evidence and video evidence,” he said. Sigli added that police are asking anyone with information to call 1800-577-8477 or 1800 577-8477-TIPS.

When asked about the direction of the shot, the police said they assumed the shot came from an elevated area.

In response to another question about the availability of guns in the district, police said their top priority was getting guns off the streets.

Meanwhile, gun violence awareness activists Everytown announced on August 30 that Polymer80, the largest manufacturer of ghost gun kits and parts in the country, has shut down. Ghost guns are weapons that are ordered online and assembled at home. The group said the announcement was a result of several lawsuits filed by Everytown Law, adding that Polymer80's non-serialized, untraceable ghost guns, purchased and built without background checks, have been fueling the gun violence crisis for years.

As reported, the family of deceased 16-year-old Bronx resident Angellyh Marieh Yambo had also filed a civil lawsuit on March 27 against Polymer80, Inc., which provided Angellyh's 17-year-old shooter and defendant Jeremiah Ryan with an untraceable firearm. In response to the news, the Angellyh Yambo Foundation issued a statement saying, “The closure of Polymer80, a manufacturer of firearm kits, is a positive step that could save lives.”

The statement continued: “However, vigilance is warranted as the company may attempt to circumvent the law by operating under a different name or relocating to another state. The continued availability of these gun kits on the streets has allowed individuals to continue building kits that have become the weapon of choice for criminals; they use these ghost guns to harm innocent people and destroy families.” Polymer80's headquarters were in Dayton, Nevada.

As reported at the time, Angellyh, who spent much of her childhood in Kingsbridge Heights and was honored at a street naming ceremony in the neighborhood last year, was just 16 years old when she was shot and killed along with two of her friends on April 8, 2022, while walking home from University Prep Charter High School in Mott Haven. Her family, friends and teacher say she was a talented artist and aspired to be a doctor. Her school friends held a march against gun violence in her memory during Gun Violence Awareness Month in June 2022. Ryan was later sentenced to 15 years in prison for the fatal shooting.

Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), who represents the Fordham Heights district among others, reportedly visited the school on October 30, 2023, to fund the urban agriculture program operated by NY Sun Works. The congressman was also behind the introduction of the Angellyh Yambo Gun Gree Zone Expansion Act in Congress, which was reportedly introduced in memory of Angellyh.

The Angellyh Yambo Foundation also issued the following statement in response to the recent Fordham Heights school shooting: “Passage of the Angellyh Yambo Gun Free Zone Expansion Act of 2023 could provide the legal protections to effectively enforce gun-free zones and ensure safety in schools. We must act to protect our students, teachers, and staff from gun violence, both on and off school grounds. This cannot happen without the support of our political leaders.”

Norwood News has reached out to the NYC Department of Education (DOE) and the Congressman for comment on the recent incident at MS 391. Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for the DOE, said, “This egregious display of force is both disturbing and reprehensible. The NYPD was immediately on the scene, where a teacher sustained non-life-threatening injuries. We will be providing additional support to this school community.” A statement from Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson is attached above.

Meanwhile, the NYPD said Community Response Team officers seized seven illegal weapons during the Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 2. That same day, one man was shot and died and others were shot and injured at the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn. Click here to watch the edited “BWC” and drone footage of one of the arrests shared by the NYPD.

The same day that this shooting occurred in the Bronx, NBC News reported on another shooting at a school in Georgia that left two students and two teachers dead. A 14-year-old is in custody.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

*David Greene contributed to this story.