Investigators say a Port Authority police ID was found beside the 55-year-old man, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — A man shot his sister to death, wounded their 86-year-old mother and then killed himself inside a Riverdale apartment building just before 8 a.m. Thursday, according to police. Officers found the man in a first-floor hallway with a gunshot wound and a pistol next to his body.
Police are investigating the shooting as a domestic case and an apparent murder-suicide at 2500 Johnson Ave., a 20-story co-op known as the Winston Churchill in the Bronx’s Riverdale/Spuyten Duyvil area. Detectives said a building doorman reported a gunshot around 8 a.m. When officers entered a nearby apartment, they found a 59-year-old woman with a fatal head wound and the siblings’ mother shot in the face. The mother was taken to Harlem Hospital in critical but stable condition. Authorities said a Port Authority Police Department identification was recovered near the gunman; officials are reviewing his employment history as part of the inquiry. Names were not immediately released.
Officers from the 50th Precinct responded within minutes after the 911 call from the building’s desk. Inside the apartment, investigators recovered two firearms and marked shell casings as evidence, according to officials at the scene. The 55-year-old man was pronounced dead in the hallway. In the bedroom, the 59-year-old woman was pronounced dead by emergency medical workers. “It’s a terrible shock, and I don’t understand what happened with the brother,” said neighbor Jane Burbank, who knew the slain woman. Another resident, Elise Langan, described the neighborhood as typically quiet and “safe.” Detectives believe the man shot his sister, shot his mother and then turned the gun on himself. A motive remains unknown.
Authorities said preliminary information indicates the shooter had previously served with the Port Authority Police Department and may have been retired at the time of the incident. Investigators were working to confirm his service record, including an assignment that colleagues said most recently included LaGuardia Airport, and to determine how the recovered weapons were obtained. Crime scene units examined the hallway and bedroom areas where the victims were found and canvassed for security video inside the lobby, elevators and exterior entrances. The mother, who neighbors said had recently moved in with her daughter, underwent treatment Thursday for facial gunshot injuries. Police said no other residents were hurt.
Residents said the building, which overlooks the Hudson River, rarely sees serious crime. The 50th Precinct recorded few homicides last year, city data show. The apparent murder-suicide is the second fatal shooting in the borough this week, underscoring the volatility of domestic incidents that can erupt behind closed doors. Longtime tenants described the 59-year-old woman as sociable and active in the community. Burbank said the family had recently marked a milestone wedding anniversary. Other neighbors, including Arielle Spanier, said they were stunned to see numerous detectives, ambulances and the medical examiner’s office converge on the quiet block during the morning rush.
Detectives from the NYPD’s Bronx Homicide Squad are leading the case with assistance from the Medical Examiner, who will perform autopsies to determine exact causes of death. Police said they will release the victims’ names after notifying relatives. Investigators planned to review surveillance footage, check 911 call logs and interview building employees and neighbors. Officials said the Port Authority Police Department would conduct an internal review of the man’s personnel records and coordinate with NYPD as needed. No criminal charges are expected because the suspected gunman is dead, but the case remains open while evidence is processed. Officials said additional updates could come after the autopsy results and when next-of-kin notifications are complete.
By midafternoon Thursday, police tape cordoned off the lobby while crime scene technicians photographed the hallway and collected ballistic evidence. A gurney from the Medical Examiner’s office was wheeled out of a service entrance as residents watched from behind the tape. “She was full of life,” Burbank said of the woman who died. “She loved to dance … and was looking forward to her retirement.” A sign on the front desk reminded visitors of security procedures as officers escorted detectives in and out of the elevator banks. The building staff declined to comment, citing the active investigation.
As of Thursday evening, the mother remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition, police said. Investigators were still working to confirm the gunman’s status with the Port Authority and to notify family members. Authorities said they expect to release identities and additional details after examinations by the Medical Examiner on Friday, Jan. 23.
Author note: Last updated January 22, 2026.