Chess Table Murder: 2 Alleged Drug Dealers Arrested in Tompkins Square Narco Feud
To nobody’s great surprise, police say both the victims, including a 74-year-old man who was murdered while sitting at a chess table in the park’s south end, and a wounded man who cops say was a “steerer” involved in the drug trade,” as were the two suspects.
| 29 Jul 2024 | 04:01
Police in the south end of Tompkins Sq. Park on July 12 after one person that police suspect was a drug dealer was murdered at one of the chess tables shortly before 10 a.m. and a second man described as a “steerer” for the drug dealer was wounded. Police have since arrested two men on murder charges. (
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Blood can be seen on the chess table where a 74 year-old alleged heroin dealer was murdered in an ongoing drug turf war in troubled Tompkins Square Park on July 12. (
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After he was shot on July 12,
Two men said by police to be involved in the illegal drug trade were arrested in connection with a shooting in Tompkins Sq. Park on July 12 that left one 74-year old man dead and wounded a second man descrive as a “steerer” to the deceased.
Nearly two weeks after the East Village shooting, cops arrested 63-year-old Angel Sardina, of 66 Pike St., Manhattan, and 63-year-old Rafael Marcias of 3560 Webster Ave. in the Bronx. Both men were arrested on July 25 and charged with murder and attempted murder.
The victims were 74-year-old Fermin Frito, who police reportedly suspect was dealing crack and heroin from the chess tables and died from his wounds after being transported to Bellevue, and his reported “steerer,” 44-year-old Edwin “Chunky” Rivera, who was wounded from gun blasts to his back were both involved in illegal drug trade. Rivera managed to run across the street to the Ave. A Deli and Grill on E. 9th St. after the shooting and refused to cooperate with police. He also tried to refuse transport to Bellevue by EMS workers but was eventually transported and listed in stable condition.
“Frito was the intended target,” said NYPD chief of detectives John Kenny of the shooting that happened shortly before 10 a.m. on July 12. “Rivera gets shot as well but we know Rivera is part of that same drug set.”
Kenny also said, “This is connected to previous violence in the park,”
Frito was shot at the chess table near Ave. A and E. 7th St. at the southern end of the park. Initially, EMS workers were seen giving him CPR and he was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, part of the NYC Health and Hospital network, but he succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead later that morning.
While the East Village park is still a popular destination for everyone from skateboarders on the northern end of the park and parents and caregivers who bring children to a kiddie playground in the center of the park near E. 9th St. it has seen more than its share of trouble this year.
Back in March, there were two separate shootings in the park within six days. The first shooting on March 16 missed its intended target but struck two others, including a tourist from Brazil whose hip was shattered. The second shooting on March 22 missed its intended targets but bullets landed in nearby apartment buildings.
Police arrested Waldeman Aleviro, 38, and charged him with attempted murder, first degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection and other charges in connection with the two shootings.
“Our parks should be a place where New Yorkers and tourists can relax without fearing for their safety,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in an April 15 statement following a court appearance of Aleviro. “Combatting gun violence remains my top priority, and my office will hold those who commit these serious acts of violence accountable,” he said.