Family Says Man Fatally Shot In New Rochelle Was Innocent Bystander
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A shooting sent shockwaves through a neighborhood in New Rochelle on Sunday.
A 79-year-old man was killed, but police said the bullet that killed him was meant for someone else.
Manuel Ayala was visiting his children -- he's only been in the country a few months from Mexico -- but in that time he made a habit of sitting outside of a deli and watching the neighborhood pass by.
On Sunday, neighbors were passing by a small memorial where he was shot.
Sitting with a cowboy hat Ayala was outside on Saturday night at around 11 p.m. on the corner of Union Ave and 3rd Street, just moments before he was shot in the chest.
"They hit me, they hit me," deli worker Juan Castillo recalls.
Castillo said Ayala was a regular at his deli. On Saturday night, he heard what he thought were firecrackers going off. He came outside to see Ayala stumbling.
"He walked up with blood running down his shirt, and that's when we get panicked like, what happened?" he said.
Ayala was taken to nearby Jacobi Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. On Sunday, his 12 children and 10 grandchildren were distraught.
"He showed his kids how to work, he was nice to get along with, and basically he was a respectful guy," grandson, Daniel Ayala said.
Family and friends don't believe the bullet was intended for their grandfather.
"He's someone who has nothing to do with the problem, and then you find a bullet from nowhere. He was not a target. It's painful," Castillo said.
Police also believe the bullet was meant for someone else.
"It's highly unusual for this community, we very rarely ever have any kind of shooting in this vicinity, it's a very quiet area," New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll said.
His grandson said Ayala's body will be shipped back to Mexico for the funeral where his wife still lives.
