Highbridge News: Shooting Near Yankee Stadium

Highbridge News: Shooting Near Yankee Stadium: Vendor Guilty in Shooting Near Yankee Stadium, Courthouse BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6-  It was a midday double-shooting that took place not...

Shooting Near Yankee Stadium

Vendor Guilty in Shooting Near Yankee Stadium, Courthouse

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6- It was a midday double-shooting that took place not only in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, but also the backyard of the very courthouse where defendant Horace Coleman was tried, and is now convicted, of murder and other charges.

Bronx County District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced the verdicts in the five-week-long jury trial: guilty of murder in the second degree, guilty of attempted murder in the second degree, and guilty of two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

On August 23rd, 2012, the streets around E. 161st Street & Gerard Avenue were busy with lunch-hour crowds when street vendor Coleman, age 52 at the time of the incident, drew a fully-loaded Magnum .357 revolver and fired at Clarence Pearson, age 41 and Douglas Watkins, age 60, in a dispute over borrowed money.

Because of the location’s proximity to the Bronx courthouses, four court officers who were in the immediate area gave chase, surrounding Coleman, who had walked a block away across 161st Street. Coleman, dressed in a pinstriped suit and a white fedora, dropped his gun and surrendered.

Pearson succumbed to his injuries two days after the shooting; Watkins, who was also shot in the abdomen, survived and testified at trial

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Susanna Imbo of Trial Bureau A34.

Coleman faces a prison sentence of 25 years-to-life on the murder charge; 25 years on the attempted murder charge, and up to 15 years behind bars on each of the gun charges.

Coleman is being held without bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27th before State Supreme Court Justice William Mogulescu, Part H77.

Tags: Horace Coleman, shooting, Yankee Stadium, Bronx Courthouse

Highbridge News: Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks

Highbridge News: Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks: Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6- The Yankees ended their most recent homestand on Thu...

Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks

Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6- The Yankees ended their most recent homestand on Thursday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees have achieved a victory in 10 of the 12 games Masahiro Tanaka has started. The win ended a four-game losing streak for the club.

Tanaka is continuing in the month of June what he accomplished during May. Tanaka excelled during his six starts in May. He compiled a record of 5-1 with a miniscule ERA of 1.88. The 25 year-old kept his pinpoint control throughout the previous month by averaging one walk per appearance yet fanning one per inning. His achievements on the mound earned him the award as Pitcher of the Month in the American League. He is the first Yankee rookie hurler to achieve that distinction.

With one out in the first inning on Thursday, Oakland’s catcher John Jaso took the first pitch from Tanaka into the rightfield stands. The home run was the first yielded by the right-hander in more than one month (May 3).

The four bagger did not disturb the Japanese native as he retired the next 10 batters he faced.

With two out in the fourth, he gave up successive singles, but retired the last batter with a strikeout. The first Oakland batter in the next frame singled. With two out, Tanaka walked his only batter of the game. The inning ended with a pop out. In the sixth, Tanaka’s final inning, one batter singled but never reached second.

Tanaka was removed after six. Yankee manager Joe Girardi explained the reasoning, “I think he threw 50 pitches in the last two innings. We felt fatigue had set in and it was time to take him out.”

Although it was his shortest performance in number of innings, Girardi expressed great admiration for how well he pitched, “He never let up and got the big outs he needed. It was a gritty performance on his part. [it was] maybe his biggest performance for us.”

Although Girardi did not want to call Tanaka the ace of the staff, he did so in other words, “He stepped up and kind of assumed that role. He’s going to give you distance, shut down the other team and give you a chance to win.”

Catcher Brian McCann took no credit for the starter’s excellence, “Stuffwise it was all there. He pitched great.”

An example of how Tanaka impressed the opposing batters follows. Rightfielder Stephen Voigt commented, “He stays on the corners. He keeps us off balance. His stuff is so good. “ [Despite Tanaka’s talent] I thought we had good at bats all day.”

Tanka admitted the team he faced for the first time was very difficult, “It was a tough game. They [Athletics] were resilient. They don’t give in.”

The rookie pitcher remained with Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos as the only two pitchers in more than a century to pitch at least six innings and give up three or fewer runs in their first 12 major league starts.

All Yankees fans eagerly await Tanaka’s next start.

Highbridge News: Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver

Highbridge News: Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver: Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 5- Police and fire officials ...

Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver

Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 5- Police and fire officials were on the scene for most of morning Wednesday, after the driver of a semi-trailer was struck and killed by a flying manhole cover. 

This incident took place on the westbound Cross Bronx Expressway, just passed the Jerome Avenue exit at 5:25 a.m.  on June 4. Cops say the cover, that weighs about 300 pounds was knocked lose and sailed through the windshield striking and briefly pinning Jose Duran, 35, of Springfield, MA. 

Duran was rushed to Lincoln Hospital where he later died. Last week in Queens a car burst into flames killing a passenger when a sewer cap popped-up and struck the undercarriage of the vehicle.   

Highbridge News: Dancing in the Street

Highbridge News: Dancing in the Street: Bronxites Celebrate at # PuertoRicanDayParade Did we catch you at the parade Click here to find out