Police on Wednesday released images of a young man investigators believe is responsible for a caught-on-camera execution-style killing of a Bronx father of four earlier this month, officials said.
The gunman, wearing a black T-shirt with multicolored lettering, black pants and black-and-red sneakers, had the hood of his sweatshirt cinched over his face when he was recorded stepping up and shooting Ralph Herrera in the left side of the head at point-blank range, police said.
Herrera, 33, lived just around the block from where he was killed, according to officials.
The shooter was later recorded in the same area without the hood over his face, but was identified by his shirt and sneakers, cops said.
Herrera, whose nickname was “Chicken,” was standing outside Exotic World, a smoke shop where he worked, on Westchester Ave. near Morrison Ave. in the Bronx’s Soundview section, beneath the MTA’s elevated No. 6 line, around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, when he was ambushed by the killer.
He was rushed him to Jacobi Hospital, where he died.
A motive for the shooting was not immediately disclosed. Police sources said Herrera had an extensive criminal history with 27 arrests, including one bust for possessing an illegal firearm.
A day after his death, dozens of votive candles were lit and left on the sidewalk outside Exotic World as the victim’s friends consoled each other and swapped stories about Herrera.
“He’s a good man, good father,” one friend was overheard saying.
“He took care of his community,” said another friend. “If there was a kid right here, he’d buy him an ice cream.”
Friends said Herrera, a Soundview native who was a huge Eminem fan, rapped under the stage name Xhixken Dondada and created a music video titled “Stolies.”
At one point, Herrera and the man who owned the studio where he recorded traveled to California, where they met Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle.
“Because of his energy, we met all these people,” his friend said.
Responding officers found a single bullet casing on the sidewalk at the scene of murder.
The gunman was last seen running down Westchester Ave. No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information about the gunman’s whereabouts is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
