By David Greene

 

One street in West Farms has the distinction of having at least four open and active murder investigations going on at the same time. The latest slaying took place this weekend when a young man was shot dead outside his childhood home.

 

Police were called to 1580 Hoe Avenue at 2:40 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. Upon their arrival they discovered the victim, later identified as 22-year-old Deshawn Fryar, of 2104 Crotona Parkway, Police reported that Fryar was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

A resident of the block, who declined to give her name, stated, "I didn't know the victim by name, but I recognized his face from the block," as police and members of EMS treated the mortally wounded victim.

 

The witness continued, "I saw he was on the ground and there were a lot of people around him, and in like three to five minutes the police came with an ambulance."

 

Asked about other violent  instances on the block, the woman replied, "Yeah, there were at least two other shootouts within this year. I don't know if they caught anybody."

 

Asked about Fryar, the woman responded, "He liked to hang around the block with his friends. You wouldn't see him getting into trouble, just hanging around the block with the other boys."

 

Homicide detectives were already working on three other unsolved homicides, two from around the corner on Vyse Avenue: the shooting death of high school student Justin McWillis, murdered on January 18, and the death of McWillis' friend William Israel, 17, who was shot dead less than a month later, on February 10.

 

According to a source at the NYPD, all three cases remain, "open and active," investigations.

 

Less information was known of a fourth homicide, that of a 27-year-old Hispanic man who was shot outside of 1711 E. 174 Street, on April 18. That victim was reported dead at the scene.

 

A fifth incident was recorded back on November 21, 2008, when a 15-year-old was shot in the neck inside of 1491 Vyse Avenue, possibly during a game of Russian Roulette. It is not known if the teen survived.

 

Second Homicide in 42nd Precinct

Bronx Homicide detectives and officers from the 42nd Precinct are also looking for the assailant who shot a man outside of 621 E. 169 Street, at 1:08 a.m., on Friday, October 9. The victim was shot once in the head and was reported dead at the scene.

 

The victim has been identified as Denis Kuratow, 22, of Brooklyn. No information was available on any  suspects or arrests in that case.