Gun jammed at shooter who killed two brothers in the Bronx before he could fire more shots

Prosecutors said on Monday that one of the shooters who killed two brothers and wounded two others in a shooting near Bronx Popey’s had his gun jammed before he could fire more shots.

Another shooter was arrested when he cut off his long locks, a trait that cops noticed in surveillance footage of the shooting.

Salvatore Rivera, 51, and José Parilla, 32, are facing murder and other charges in the deaths of brothers Jeremiah Smith, 24, and Devren Smith, 37, police said.

José Parilla is pictured at his arraignment in the Bronx on Monday, February 13, 2023.

The accused gunmen opened fire near a fast food restaurant on East Tremont and Hughes Avenue. in Tremont around 2:30 p.m. Friday, where police said they also shot two other men.

Two less seriously injured victims, aged 58 and 36, were shot in the ankle and buttocks and were treated at St. Barnabas’ Hospital and released.

However, the Smith brothers were less fortunate. They both died of their wounds in the same hospital nine hours apart.

Brothers Devren Smith, 37, and Jeremiah Smith, 24.

Following separate charges in Bronx criminal court, Rivera and Parilla were held without bail.

Both men confessed to police that they were at the scene of the shooting and fired two pistols, prosecutors said. Parilla told police that the gun he was using jammed when he fired into the crowd outside Popey’s.

“My client categorically denies ever committing [a statement]”, — argued the lawyer for the defense of Parilla.

The Smith brothers’ aunts hugged and sobbed as prosecutors read the charges at the hearing.

“My God!” yelled one of the women in the hallway outside the courtroom on Monday afternoon. “My nephews will never return!!”

A detective investigates a shooting at E. Tremont Avenue and Hughes Avenue on Friday, February 10, in the Bronx.

During Rivera’s arraignment Sunday night, prosecutors said that when police caught up with him, he was cutting his hair, which was long when he was seen on surveillance footage earlier in the day.

He admitted to detained officers that he was at the scene of the shooting and fired a .38 pistol that police seized while executing a search warrant, prosecutors said.

On Sunday, Devren and Jeremy’s brother told the Daily News that the family did not know the gunmen and would not recognize their names.

“It just happened. It’s a shock,” Dakuan Shepard, 32, said. “No one expected to lose two of their siblings in one day, especially to something like this.”

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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