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This Man Fatally Shot a Retired Teacher in Harlem, Police Say

By Aidan Gardiner | August 26, 2016 9:03am | Updated on August 28, 2016 6:20pm
 Police released a sketch Thursday of the gunman who fatally shot a retired teacher in Harlem.
Police released a sketch Thursday of the gunman who fatally shot a retired teacher in Harlem.
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NYPD

MANHATTAN — Police released a sketch Thursday of a man they said fatally shot an innocent bystander in a Harlem playground.

The suspect gunned down Odessa Simms, a 61-year-old former teacher, as she presided over a game of dominoes in the Colonel Charles Young Playground at West 144th Street and Lenox Avenue about 11:44 p.m. Aug. 20, NYPD officials said.

Simms, who was beloved by the many people she frequently spent time with playing games at the park, was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital, police said.

Witnesses spotted a man with a gun in his hand fleeing the scene.

There were no arrests as of Friday, police said.

Investigators released a sketch of the suspect Thursday. He is in his late 20s or early 30s and was last seen with short black hair, a clean-shaven face and black shirt, police said.

The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the gunman.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).