$2,500 Reward Offered In Connection With Shooting Deaths Of Mother, Son On Staten Island
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The search continues for the gunman who shot and killed a mother and her adult son, and left another man critically injured on Staten Island.
Idelle Rivera, 47, and Anthony Rivera, 21, were shot at 14 Roxbury Street, outside the Mariners Harbor public housing development, at around 6 p.m. Thursday night, police said.
On Friday morning, the NYPD named the suspect as Anthony Morales. He is described as an Hispanic male, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, jeans and a black hat. He drove off in a black Honda or Hyundai with Pennsylvania plates JWM6448, police said.
#Wanted for a double homicide on #StatenIsland on 3/24. Any info call #800577TIPS #Reward #yourcityyourcall pic.twitter.com/0XC1Rb7NQs
— Chief Robert Boyce (@NYPDDetectives) March 25, 2016
Anthony Rivera was working on his Honda Civic, along with a friend known in the neighborhood as Jose, when gunfire broke out, the victim's father said.
Anthony was shot in the head and killed on the street where he's lived for 15 years. His friend was shot multiple times in the left leg.
After hearing her son was gunned down, Idelle Rivera ran outside to help before being shot in the head, just feet away from her boy.
"They're both in heaven," said Tony Pena, who lost his wife and son in the shooting. "They always protect their kids and she was a great mother."
The victims were all rushed to Richmond Medical Center. The mother and son did not survive.
It's the same hospital where Anthony was set to start working as a security guard Friday.
"Anthony was a very very happy boy because he was going to start his new job and it didn't happen," Pena said.
Pena said he recognizes the suspect.
"I never spoke to him, I've seen him around here plenty of times and he does live right here on 14," Pena told CBS2's Magdalena Doris.
Neighbors who knew Anthony Rivera said he was a neighborhood mechanic who would often socialize outside.
"There was plenty of people outside, so for them to only target the mom and the son and somebody that was with them, it had to be a target type thing," neighbor Linda Ramirez-Gonzalez said.
The NYPD said a dispute was at the heart of this fatal shooting.
A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in this case.
If anyone has information regarding Morales' whereabouts, please call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS). All calls will remain confidential.
