Bronx drill rapper shot and killed after leaving parole office, NYPD says
A Bronx drill rapper was fatally shot after leaving his parole office Wednesday, police said. The NYPD is searching for several suspects in the killing.
John Martinez, 27, was gunned down just before 6 p.m. near the intersection of Alexander Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard in Mott Haven, according to NYPD officials. First responders took him to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said they were investigating a possible motive and said four potential suspects fled east on nearby East 132nd Street after the shooting: a man wearing all black with white sneakers, a second in a gray sweatshirt, a third in a black sweatshirt with a gray shirt underneath, and a fourth in a purple sweatshirt and light blue jeans with his hair in a bun.
Members of the city’s rap community who knew Martinez as Suave Drilly condemned the violence on social media. Wilfredo Hierrezuelo, the founder of a nonprofit called Hug the Block Foundation who met Martinez at rap showcases he hosted, said Martinez had recently started making music again after he was released from prison on parole.
According to the Bronx district attorney’s office, Martinez was indicted with several others and convicted of attempted gang assault in March 2023. State prison records show he was paroled in January 2024. His release conditions required him to check in regularly with his parole officer.
A representative who answered the phone Thursday at the parole office on Alexander Avenue, just a half-block from where Martinez was shot, declined to comment. His lawyer in the gang assault case did not immediately respond to inquiries. State correction officials said they were cooperating with the NYPD on the investigation.
City officials including Mayor Eric Adams and police leadership have long blamed drill rap for igniting violence, though it’s still unclear if it had a connection to Wednesday’s shooting. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny
“A lot of these kids do drill and they talk about other people’s dead family members. … Some people take heat to that,” Hierrezuelo said, criticizing the genre’s often-adversarial lyrics and diss tracks, and calling for anti-violence organizations to offer more hands-on programs for young people.
“It doesn't have to be about killing, it doesn't have to be about the enemy,” he added. “It could be just about your story, your struggle and how you put it into music."
Police data through Oct. 12 shows shootings in the
Clarisa Alayeto, who lives near where Martinez was shot, said she was picking up her niece and nephew from school Wednesday afternoon when she saw several young men in ski masks moving toward Alexander Avenue. She said she called 911 to report the group, but the shooting happened before police arrived.
“ When you're from our communities and you've seen it over and over, you're almost familiar with what's going to happen next,” Alayeto said. “When I got to the corner, I saw the guy laying on the floor. … I was in a state of like panic almost, thinking about the kids, the families and just how many times we hear about people getting caught in the middle.”
Alayeto said the incident underscored for her the stakes of next month’s mayoral election.
“We've had mayor after mayor after mayor after mayor, and the gun violence continues to be what it is in our communities. And so this [next] mayor has to do something,” she said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
