Bronx woman, 59, charged with fatally shooting 24-year-old man near her building

59-year-old Bronx Woman Charged with Murder Over Fatal Shooting Outside Her Building

A 59-year-old woman from the Bronx has been charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man outside her apartment building on Sunday night. Denise Aponte, who lives across the street from where the victim, Randy Blanche, was shot, is facing multiple charges following the incident.

According to police, Blanche was found on the sidewalk at 160 West 174th Street with multiple gunshot wounds to his head around 8 pm on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at BronxCare Hospital shortly after arrival. The NYPD said they are investigating whether Aponte and Blanche knew each other, but no further details have been released.

Residents of the building adjacent to the crime scene described the incident as shocking and unexpected, with many stating that gun violence is rare in their community. However, police say the shooting was sparked by an argument between Aponte and Blanche.

A criminal complaint filed on Tuesday reveals that Aponte did not pull the trigger but was present during the shooting when another individual fired the fatal shots. Aponte's arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court is pending, but her lawyer's information has not been made available yet.

The incident marks at least the fourth gun-related death in the 46th Precinct this year. According to police data, shootings in the precinct have decreased significantly, with 21 incidents reported through mid-November compared to 47 last year.

Aponte's family members have also been affected by the shooting, as Blanche is believed to be Aponte's son. His mother expressed her grief and shock over the incident, saying "Right now I'm lost for words... She took him from me."

this is so sad. a woman loses her child in such a tragic way, and now she's facing charges too it's like this cycle of violence just keeps repeating itself. i feel bad for the victim's mom, she's struggling to process her emotions right now what was going through her mind when her son passed away? how could things escalate from an argument to a fatal shooting in seconds? we need more help for people dealing with mental health issues and conflict resolution skills

Ugh, this woman needs to get her life together ! Like, 59 and still involved in some crazy drama? And it's not even like she was there when the actual shooting happened – she just stood around while someone else did it. I mean, come on! You're gonna sit across from the guy who got shot and be all calm and collected, but then suddenly you're a suspect in a murder investigation? What are your chances of being cleared by now? And btw, 21 incidents reported in one precinct is way too high – when's the community gonna do something about it? They need to step up their game and support each other instead of just saying "gun violence is rare in our community". It's not rare, it's a problem!

Gun violence in NYC is getting out of hand , can't believe it happened right outside a building we've all walked by 100s of times

can u believe this ? a 59 yr old woman gets charged w murder cuz she was at the scene where her own son got shot i mean i get it guns are bad but cmon what r we doin . it's just so sad for the mom, i feel bad for her, losin a child is one thing but lovin them and havin to watch 'em get taken away like that gotta wonder wut triggered this tho, was it really an argument or was there somethin more to it

ugh i'm still trying to process this what's going on with all these gun-related deaths in NYC?! it feels like every other day there's another news story about some innocent person getting shot or killed. and to think that it was sparked by an argument between a 59-year-old woman and her son... how does that even happen?! i mean, i know we can't control everything, but can't we just find ways to resolve our differences peacefully instead of resorting to violence?

OMG, can you even believe this?! A 59-yr-old lady is being charged with murder over a shooting that happened outside her building . The thing is, she didn't pull the trigger herself but was there when someone else did . It's like, what even led up to this? I mean, arguments happen, but fatal shootings don't have to end in death... or do they?

It's wild that gun violence is happening so much in our communities . The 46th Precinct has seen a lot of deaths already this year - 21 incidents just through mid-November . And last year was even worse, with 47 shootings reported .

I feel bad for the victim's mom , though. Losing someone like that must be so tough... I mean, Denise Aponte is supposed to be his mom, but now she's facing charges and her own family might be affected too .

can't believe this is happening in our communities we need to talk about systemic issues here not just individual problems, gun laws are super lax in NY but it's not like it's easy to get guns out of the system either . The fact that Denise Aponte's own family member was killed by someone else is just heartbreaking and we gotta make sure our schools and social services are providing the support for young people

"It takes a village to raise a child" - Loretta VanDeuren (This sad story highlights how gun violence can affect families and communities. It's a harsh reminder that our actions have consequences)

This whole thing just feels so sad on every level u know? Like Denise Aponte's family is already dealing with this tragedy and then to find out she's the one who was present during the shooting... that's a lot of guilt to carry around. The fact that her son was the victim makes it even harder for her to cope, I can only imagine how traumatic this must be for her mom .

It's also interesting to see how the community is reacting to this. People are saying that gun violence is rare in their area, which I think is a valid point. But at the same time, it's clear that there's still a lot of work to be done to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening.

I'm just curious about what prompted Aponte and Blanche to argue in the first place... did they know each other? Was it a random encounter? I'd love to hear more about the investigation and what's being uncovered.

I mean, this is just really crazy . 59 and already dealing with something like this? I get that gun violence is a huge problem in some areas, but it's still shocking to hear about something like this happening even in communities where it's not usually common. You feel for the family of the victim too - losing someone like that must be devastating . The fact that Aponte wasn't even the one who pulled the trigger makes it even more wild, though. I hope she gets the help and support she needs during this tough time . But at the same time, I'm also kinda thinking about how easy it is to get caught up in these kinds of situations... like, what was Aponte thinking? Did she really not think things would escalate? It's all just so complex and messed up .

This makes me really sad . Gun violence is just getting out of control in this country . I've lived through some tough times in my life, but to see something like this happen to someone so young and full of life is heartbreaking . It's crazy how it can all come down to an argument over a gun . We need to find a way to deal with our differences without resorting to violence . I remember when I was younger, we didn't see as many shootings like this. What happened? Have we just lost all sense of respect for human life? It's not just the victims that are affected, it's their families and loved ones too... I feel so sorry for Aponte's family right now .

cant believe this crap happens in our cities like how can a 59 year old lady even pull a trigger on some poor kid? its just not right she mighta had an arguement with her son but thats no reason to kill him in broad daylight... what kinda crazy world are we livin in where ppl think its ok to take lives over stupid stuff

Man... this whole situation just leaves you wondering what drives people to take someone's life like that . Denise Aponte's story is a complex one - she's a 59-year-old woman who's lost her son to gun violence, and now she's facing murder charges for being present at the scene when it happened. It's like, does she deserve to be held accountable for not intervening or something?

But then you think about Aponte's family, especially her mother, who's just trying to process her emotions after losing her son . And you wonder if we're just too quick to judge people in situations like this. Are we really willing to punish someone for being a bystander when there are more systemic issues at play?

It's also crazy to think about the community where this happened - they said gun violence was rare, but here's another incident that shatters that illusion . Maybe instead of pointing fingers at one person, we should be looking at how we can prevent these kinds of tragedies from happening in the first place .

This is a perfect storm of what's gone wrong in our communities . A 59-year-old woman, who should know better, gets caught up in an argument with her own son and things escalate to a fatal shooting . Meanwhile, the stats are staggering - gun violence is killing us, literally . We need to take responsibility for our actions and hold each other accountable . I mean, what was Denise thinking? Was she aware that her community had become so violent? Shouldn't we be working on preventing this kind of tragedy instead of just reacting to it? And the fact that this is the fourth gun-related death in the 46th Precinct already has me scratching my head . We need systemic change, not just law enforcement action . This isn't a woman's fault alone, but we can't just blame the victim either . It's time for us to come together and demand better solutions, not just more punishment .

Girl, what is wrong with people these days? First of all, 59 is not old, it's middle-aged, like my aunt . And gun violence in New York City is a huge issue, we need to be talking about the root causes and working towards solutions, not just focusing on individual cases. I mean, have you seen the data on shootings in this precinct? It's crazy that it's decreased significantly since last year, but we still need more work done.

And what's up with Denise Aponte's situation? She didn't even pull the trigger, but she's charged with murder? That doesn't seem fair to me. I'm all for holding people accountable, but let's not forget that guns are a huge part of this problem. We need to be talking about gun control and making sure that everyone is held to the same standard.

I also feel bad for her family, especially since Blanche was believed to be her son. It's devastating news, and I hope she gets the support she needs during this difficult time .

man this is so messed up a 59-year-old woman charged with murder over some stupid argument? it just makes me wanna know what was going thru Denise's head that day to lead her to pull the trigger on her own son anyway, i hope she gets the help she needs and not just thrown in jail ASAP

man this gun violence thing its getting outta hand in ny city especially in the bronx where im from its supposed to be one of the safest boroughs but it feels like every other day theres some shootout or shooting or watever... and now some lady from my building is facing murder charges because her kid was involved i feel so bad for her fam theyre already hurting enough what can we do to stop this stuff ?

Man... this case got me thinking . Sometimes we think that justice will prevail, but life can be unpredictable . We gotta remember that everyone's actions have consequences, no matter how unexpected they may seem . Aponte didn't pull the trigger, but she was still a part of it. It makes you wonder what led her to that point and if there was something we could've done differently .

It also got me thinking about the community's reaction... people saying gun violence is rare in their neighborhood? That's not true for everyone . We gotta acknowledge the elephant in the room – systemic issues are real, and we need to address them . Not just blaming individuals but looking at the bigger picture.

And what about Aponte's family? Losing someone so young... it's devastating . You can't even begin to imagine how she's feeling right now. This case is a harsh reminder that gun violence doesn't discriminate between people, and we need to take collective action to prevent such tragedies .