Shooting Incident in the Bronx

Authorities report that a man suspected of fatally shooting three individuals in a Bronx apartment was likely a disgruntled tenant embroiled in an ongoing dispute with his neighbor.

Jimmy Avila, 44, was taken into custody on Wednesday following the shootings that occurred on College Avenue, close to 170th Avenue in Mount Eden at around 8:30 AM. Witnesses indicated that he had slapped a 37-year-old man with his chest, and another 59-year-old man with his butt. More seriously, he shot a 62-year-old man in the arm.

The 37-year-old later succumbed to his injuries, while the other two victims were hospitalized but reported to be in stable condition.

Following the attack, Avila barricaded himself inside the apartment and reportedly confessed to a local news station during a call, expressing his distress. He was eventually arrested after a standoff with law enforcement.

This violent incident appears to have stemmed from tensions regarding access to the building’s backyard, as reported by local sources.

In a desperate phone call to News12, Avila stated, “I wasn’t going to do this, but I had to do it because these people were threatening my life.”

One of the victims, identified as Ryan Hines, was the building supervisor; he was shot while passing by Avila’s apartment that morning.

Orlando Neebbs, another victim, was walking alongside Hines when the gunfire erupted.

“My husband was attacked twice,” his wife, Ebony, recalled, sharing her harrowing experience of pulling him to safety. “We’ve had problems with him for over a year,” she continued, noting Avila’s insistence that the backyard was for his exclusive use.

Avila has a criminal record that includes three previous convictions, such as a misdemeanor assault in 2024, along with charges related to drug possession and robbery dating back to the late 1990s.