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Man Killed, 2 Others Wounded in St. Nicholas Avenue Shooting

By Trevor Kapp | October 3, 2014 8:35am
 Orlando Rivera, 42, was shot dead and two others were wounded when gunfire erupted on St. Nicholas Avenue Thursday evening.
Man Killed, 2 Others Wounded in St. Nicholas Avenue Shooting
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WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A man stepping out to buy cigarettes was shot dead and two other people — including a 17-year-old girl — were wounded when gunfire erupted on St. Nicholas Avenue Thursday evening, police and witnesses said.

Orlando Rivera, 42, was shot in the back near West 193rd Street about 6:40 p.m., the NYPD said.

He was rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

"He was the sweetest, most caring person in the world," close friend Selly Concepcion, 34, said Friday from Rivera's nearby building. "He was my best friend. We would talk a thousand times a day. I don't know how we're going to get through this."

Friends said Rivera had a 20-year-old son and was revered on his block.

"He was a highly respected man," pal Leo Rodriguez, 29, said through sobs. "Everyone called him 'Olle.' He was an awesome guy. It wasn't his time."

The teen girl was shot in the left foot and taken to Columbia Presbyterian in stable condition, while the 20-year-old man was wounded in both legs and taken to Harlem Hospital in stable condition, the NYPD said.

"I heard a lot of shots, a lot of gunfire," said witness Anthony Reece, 37, a super at a nearby building. "There were so many gunshots, it was too much to believe it was real.

"I saw a guy lying on the ground and the police taking him to the stretcher."

Police believe the suspects took off in a vehicle they recovered not far from the scene, sources said.

Rodriguez said she had spoken to Rivera earlier in the day.

"The last thing he said to me was, 'I love you, friend,'" she recalled.

She added that she saw his lifeless body on the ground just after the shooting.

"Even in death, he was loved," she said. "He was laying there looking like an angel."