Randy Blanche, 24, was shot multiple times in the head and killed outside an apartment building in Morris Heights on the night of Sunday, November 23, 2025. NYPD officers from the 46th Precinct responded to a 911 call around 8 p.m. at 160 West 174th Street near the Sedgwick Houses; Blanche was found unconscious on the sidewalk and later pronounced dead at BronxCare Hospital. Neighbors reported hearing shouting followed by rapid gunfire, and surveillance video captured parts of the confrontation.

Within two days police arrested 59-year-old Denise Aponte and charged her with murder, manslaughter and criminal weapons possession. Prosecutors say Aponte was at the scene, armed, and that her husband, Marcos Rodriguez, arrived after a phone call and fired three shots that struck Blanche. The complaint does not allege Aponte pulled the trigger; she was arrested at her apartment and is being held on the charges. Rodriguez is being sought as the suspected shooter and authorities have not announced additional formal charges for others detained at the scene.

Blanche lived in Tremont; investigators are examining whether he and Aponte knew each other. His mother, Shonta Johnson, said she was lost for words and blamed Aponte. This killing is at least the fourth fatal shooting in the 46th Precinct this year. Does anyone have information about Blanche’s presence near West 174th Street that night or about the people involved?