Family of 78-year-old gunned down in the Bronx is calling on NYC officials to ratchet up the investigation's intensity
The investigation into the shooting death of Bronx grandfather Edgar Spence is intensifying, with community advocates now offering a $5,000 reward in the case.
The 78-year-old victim's loved ones broke their silence Monday and called on the city to do more to find their beloved grandfather's killer.
"Somebody knows something"
Family members gathered outside the Mitchell Houses in Mott Haven, just feet away from the bench Spence was sitting on when police say he was fatally struck by a stray bullet on Thursday night. They made it clear not enough is being done to provide answers.
"Our father, our grandfather and our children's great-grandfather didn't deserve this," said Michael Reid, Spence's son.
Adding to the family's heartache, members say there is frustration over the lack of updates from detectives and silence from Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the loss of a man revered by locals as the neighborhood's "Pops."
"I would like that same energy as if a police officer was standing here or if they were talking about a police officer having been shot," Reid said.
"Somebody knows something, but somebody is not saying anything," community leader Rev. Kevin McCall said.
McCall then announced the reward for information in the case that leads to an arrest and conviction.
NYPD officials said the investigation is ongoing, while the mayor's office did not immediately respond to CBS News New York's request for comment.
Homicides in NYC down more than 20% year over year, police say
Despite the recent wave of widely-publicized violence, police say homicides are actually down citywide. The latest numbers show murders are down by more than 22% from this time last year.
And overall, the first quarter of 2026 saw a historic low in major crime across all five boroughs, the department said.
For this Mott Haven community, however, stats can't measure the weight of their grief.
"Edgar was something of a fixture and a monument to Mitchell [Houses]," one woman said.
