On the night of July 16, 2017, 27-year-old Mount Vernon resident Orville Bell was shot and killed near the intersection of South Columbus Avenue and Sargent Place. First responders found Bell unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds to his head, torso, and left leg; he was taken to Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The shooting happened around 11:16 p.m., about a block from a large, alcohol-fueled event called the Igloo Beachwear Affair at Hutchinson Field that drew hundreds of people. Authorities noted that some off-duty NYPD officers were reportedly providing security at the event, but investigators never established a definitive link between the party and Bell’s killing. Two other people suffered non-life-threatening assaults that night, though any connection to the homicide remained unclear.

The Mount Vernon Police Department continued to investigate but made no public identification of suspects, and no arrests were announced. The case grew cold amid local debate over policing and event permitting. Anyone with information about what happened to Orville Bell is urged to come forward.