A known criminal was spotted in a Bronx neighborhood carrying what appeared to be a long rifle, but it turned out to be a paintball gun. Police sources indicated on Wednesday that he still faced criminal charges.
Rodney Lance, 42, was seen strolling through Mount Eden around 12:30 PM, holding the suspected weapon in his left hand while also carrying a backpack.
This alarming sighting led to the nearby school closing on the very day when a shooter had entered a midtown skyscraper armed with an AR-15-style rifle, resulting in four fatalities.
Lance was apprehended about two hours later by the NYPD’s emergency services unit at an apartment on Nelson Avenue, close to Edward L. Grant Highway, according to officers.
When officers executed a search warrant in the building, they found an air pistol, specifically identified as a type of paintball gun.
Lance faced charges for criminal possession of a weapon, harassment, and related offenses, authorities confirmed.
Initially, law enforcement sources described Lance as “emotionally disturbed” and noted he had over 70 prior arrests on his record. However, the NYPD later confirmed that the actual count was 40.
In his most recent arrest, Lance was accused of trying to rob a residential building on Judge Street in East Williamsburg on July 21. He allegedly used a driver to break a window but fled without taking anything.
This incident unfolded just a day after a horrific attack when a 27-year-old gunman, Shane Tamra, targeted a Manhattan building housing Blackstone and NFL headquarters. Tamra started a fire and used a rifle around 6:30 PM, killing four people before he was taken down.
The victims included NYPD officer Didalur, who had a pregnant wife expecting their third child, along with Blackstone executive Wesley Repatner, security guard Aland Etienne, and Julia Hyman, an executive at Rudin Management, which owns the building.
