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Elder Suicide - Know the Warning Signs

Quiet Acknowledgment is Powerful: Rethinking Suicide Prevention for Older Adults By Dr. Tyshawn J. Thompson, Clinical Psychologist, Montefiore-Einstein Psychiatry Associates  Bronx Voice  August 21, 2025 NEW YORK - Despite continued awareness and prevention efforts, suicide remains a leading cause of death in the U.S. Many conversations about suicide risk focus on youth and middle-aged populations, while older adults tend to go unnoticed - but they are an important group to consider.  Sadly, death by suicide is highest for men older than 75 years . Older adults can face many factors that increase their risk for suicidal thoughts and actions including: feelings of loneliness, social isolation, grief, family discord, new cognitive and physical deficits, financial strain, and institutionalization.  Recently, I had a conversation with a close family member who shared feelings of anxiety and a fear of losin...
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Bloods Gang Member Charged with Bronx Execution

Gerry Mazzella was gunned down by a gang member in what family call a case of mistaken identity.


By Dan Gesslein

Bronx Voice

November 4, 2022 


BRONX - The feds charged a gang member with murder for executing a man on a Bronx street. Prosecutors said the defendant gunned down the victim to further himself in the gang which is an offshoot of the Bloods.   


Family members said Gerry Mazzella was a former pot dealer who turned his life around. Mazzella worked at a Bronx bagel shop and had plans of moving out of the city, when he was shot in the back of the neck in 2021. Friends believe he was the mistaken target. 


Prosecutors said that on June 3, 2021 Shakoor snuck up behind Mazzella and shot him point blank in the back of the neck. 





Prosecutors say Jaleel Shakoor shot and killed Mazzella as a way to move up in the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation (“Gorilla Stone”), an offshoot of the Bloods Street Gang. The US Attorney’s office for the Southern District charged Shakoor with racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, murder with a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.




“As alleged, the defendant committed a murder as part of his gang membership: he shot Gerry Mazzella from point-blank range, killing him,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “With these charges, we continue our daily work of investigating and prosecuting those who perpetrate these senseless acts. We hope this prosecution brings some measure of comfort to the victim’s loved ones.” 




The Gorilla Stone gang ran a drug distribution operation throughout the Bronx as well as in the jails and prisons in NYC and throughout the state. The gang sold drugs and committed robberies to enrich themselves. They also attacked rival gang members including assault and murder. 





Shakoor was charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; one count of murder through use of a firearm, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of possessing ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison.



NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “This case is an outstanding example of what the NYPD and our law enforcement partners can accomplish when we strike back at the relatively few people responsible for spreading violence and fear in New York City.  Together, we remain committed to thwarting gang activity in all its forms, and to reinforcing the severe consequences that await anyone who dares to jeopardize safety in our neighborhoods.”


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