Shopping Cart Hero Gunned Down in Front of Junior Mural
Police are searching for this man in the fatal shooting of Achilles Raskin in front of the Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-FelizMemorial in the Bronx. -Photo by NYPD
By Dan Gesslein
Bronx Voice
March 10, 2023
BRONX - Police released a photo of a suspect they believe gunned down a man in front of the memorial for Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz in the Bronx.
The NYPD released surveillance video from inside a Bronx bodega of the man suspected of gunning down a local man on the very corner where Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was brutally stabbed to death by members of a street gang in a case of mistaken identity.
The video shows a man dressed head to toe in black and then with a blue jacket draped over him and a fanny pack. Cops are searching for him in connection with the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Achilles Baskin.
Investigators said the gunman had gotten into a dispute with Baskin at around 1:24 om on February 26 in front of 526 East 183 Street. The gunman unloaded multiple rounds striking Baskin repeatedly. He was rushed to nearby St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Baskin had been praised as a teen for trying to stop a vicious shopping cart attack at a Harlem mall in 2011. He tried to stop his friends from throwing a shopping cart off the roof of the mall which ended up striking a real estate broker walkingwith her son. The woman suffered brain trauma and had to relearn to walk.
According to published reports, Baskin immediately told mall security who did it which led to the arrest and conviction of the teens. At the time Mayor Michael Bloomberg hailed him as a hero.
However, in the decade since the shopping cart attack, Baskin has racked up 11 arrests for assault and drug dealing. He was arrested two months prior to his death for attempted murder. He scheduled to appear in court in April.
This shooting was particularly shocking to residents because it took place in front of the memorial for Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz - the 15-year-old who was viciously killed by members of the Trinitarios gang.
In 2019 the corner of Bathgate and E 183rd Street was renamed Lesandro Junior Way. Local leaders, including Congressman Ritchie Torres, spoke at the unveiling. The sign stands on the corner and the mural of Junior still adorns the side of the bodega where he was killed.
Cops say the fatal shooting took place in front of the memorial.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
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