A woman was shot and killed in the Wakefield section of the Bronx early Tuesday, and police are now searching for the gunman who cut her life short. Investigators have identified the victim as 39-year-old Julia Andrews, who was found with gunshot wounds after officers responded to reports of gunfire, in a case that has left a residential Bronx neighborhood shaken and detectives scrambling for answers.
The shooting unfolded on Murdoch Avenue, not far from a school, where police say Andrews had been struck twice in the chest. The violence turned a quiet stretch of the Wakefield neighborhood into an active crime scene, with officers cordoning off the area as the crime scene unit began the painstaking work of gathering evidence and canvassing for witnesses.
Emergency medical crews responded quickly in an effort to save her. Paramedics rushed the wounded woman to a local hospital, but despite their efforts she could not be saved and was pronounced dead, making the case a homicide investigation for detectives working the scene.
The person responsible managed to get away before officers arrived. Police say the suspect fled on a moped, and as of the morning after the shooting no arrests had been made. Investigators have not released a description of the gunman, and the motive behind the attack remains unknown.
One piece of physical evidence has drawn the attention of investigators. Police have been examining a vehicle near the scene whose passenger-side window was pierced by gunfire, a detail that could help detectives reconstruct how the shooting unfolded and where the shots were fired from as they build their case.
For the victim's family, the loss is devastating. Her sister shared a photograph of her and described her as a hard worker who worked with people who are handicapped, remembering a woman devoted to helping others. She was, her sister said, just one month shy of celebrating her 40th birthday when she was killed.
The investigation is ongoing as detectives try to identify the gunman and determine what led to the deadly shooting. Police are appealing to the public for help, urging anyone with information about the attack or the person who fled on the moped to come forward and contact investigators as soon as possible.