Investigators now believe it was a tragic case of mistaken identity that led to the fatal shooting of an innocent 33-year-old Bronx woman just steps from her Williamsbridge home last week.
Dune Janelle Jacobs left the East 213th Street apartment building she shared with her mother and younger sister to get a late-night snack when she was shot in the head by a man who pounced from a slow-moving car near the intersection of Carlisle Place at about 12:45 a.m. on December 2.
Police said an ongoing battle between two warring street crews inadvertently led to Jacobs, a recently-promoted Buffalo Wild Wings cook, to be targeted in the gunman’s crosshairs. One of three shots fired struck the skull of Jacobs, clad in a heavy winter coat with a large hood. Although she was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, she died about two hours later.
In the dark, cold night the suspects – members of the YGs, or “Young Guns” crew – accidentally mistook the unfortunate Jacobs for their intended mark: a 23-year-old Grace Avenue man who boasts a history of robbery, burglary, and narcotics arrests and is an admitted member of a Bloods gang subset known as BFA, or “Brothers for Another.”
Nearby patrol officers heard the shots ring out and saw a white four-door sedan drive away from the scene.
Cops followed the vehicle for several blocks before the car suddenly accelerated through a series of stop signs. About two blocks from the shooting, the murder weapon was thrown from the automobile and recovered by police. Ballistics tests later matched the 9mm Glock semiautomatic handgun to spent shell casings found near Jacobs’ body.
Police lost the car as it recklessly careened through the neighborhood, but soon discovered the 2013 Nissan Altima – abandoned with its engine still running – at the corner of Givan and Gunther Avenues, which also turned out to be the triggerman’s last known local address.
While two men and a third accomplice have been arrested in the murder investigation so far, the actual shooter remains at large.
He is Brendrick “Diddy” Brown, 23, who was already on federal probation in South Carolina for a 2012 grand larceny, and who was spotted at a relative’s home in that state three days after the Bronx homicide.
The driver of the car, 23-year-old Devon Jenkins, and the front-seat passenger, 22-year-old Fabian Coke have each been arrested and charged with Murder, Manslaughter, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Both Bronx men have lengthy criminal records.
Also arrested was Bronx resident Omar Hidalgo, 26, who was charged with several counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument.
Investigators found that Hidalgo rented the Nissan on September 23 at a Hertz Rent-A-Car in Tampa, Fla., using a fake driver’s license and a fraudulent credit card, both with a Florida address and a false name.
In turn, Hidalgo loaned out the car – which was supposed to be returned to Hertz on October 4 – to paying customers in the Edenwald Houses in the Bronx. It was driven all over the city and racked up several unpaid parking tickets.
Meanwhile in the 47th Precinct, where Jacobs was slain, the NYPD has seen an 18 percent increase in arrests for murder this year, and all reported major crimes are down nearly 6 percent.
The only person who called 911 when Jacobs was ambushed by Brown was a man who was unaware anyone had been hit, but called to report that an errant bullet had passed through his parked car’s windshield.
Anyone with information regarding this homicide – or specifically regarding the whereabouts of the gunman, Brendrick Brown – is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). All calls are strictly confidential.
The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
(Breaking911.com)
