Kingsbridge man arrested for fatal shooting of 26-year-old man

Police have arrested and charged a man for the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Fordham Manor man on Feb. 8 — someone police say fatally shot a 19-year-old man back in 2012.

Deshaun Coleman, 46, of Sedgwick Avenue was arrested by police from the 50th Precinct on Valentine’s Day at approximately 8:15 a.m. He was charged with both murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection to the homicide of Hasan Richburg.

Richburg was fatally shot in front of an apartment building at 131 W. Kingsbridge Road at approximately 10:56 a.m. on Feb. 8, according to police. Following a 911 call, police arrived at the scene and found Richburg with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. EMS transported him to Saint Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Coleman was recently released on parole for good behavior in connection to weapons charges from the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old in front of 2805 Heath Ave. in 2012. Back then Coleman was charged with first and second degree manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon charges. He was found not guilty on the manslaughter charges but guilty on the weapons charges.

The victim back then, Victor Maldonado, was shot by Coleman after trying to break up a fight between two girls, one of which was Coleman’s sister, Theresa Coleman, according to police.

That fight apparently started over a door. Maldonado’s friend reportedly held the front door for Theresa who failed to say thank you and then sarcastically said, “you’re welcome.”

“That argument that happened between the two females went on for almost two hours,” said Maldonado’s sister, Nayiliana Dejesus, who was not present during the argument. “My brother lived in the area. They were actually waiting for a friend to come downstairs and (the) sister she just kept coming back and forth from the first floor arguing.”

That situation was made worse when Theresa called for her brother, Nayiliana said. When Coleman came out the conflict escalated and after a few exchanges of words Coleman fired a single shot to Maldonado’s torso, according to police. Maldonado was trying to run away before he was shot, Nayiliana said.

This resulted in a 20-minute standoff in which Coleman and his sister refused to let police enter the apartment, police said. When police entered the apartment they found a gun inside one of Coleman’s nephews bookbag wrapped in a shirt, Nayiliana said. Coleman claimed then that he was acting in defense and that the gun belonged to the victim, Maldonado.

“He tried to say that the gun was my brother’s but my brother never had a gun,” Nayiliana said. “And my brother’s DNA was never on the gun.”

Then commanding officer of the 50th Precinct Capt. Kevin Burke called Coleman “a real thug” and one who had faced 28 arrests related to narcotics, assault and robbery. This was in stark contrast to Maldonado, who according to Nayiliana, wanted to save people in the military.

“My brother was very respectful, and I’m not saying that because he was my brother,” she said. “He was raised to be respectful. Everyone in the neighborhood, everyone all over, said my brother was respectful. You had people going to his funeral because he helped them cross the street, he gave them money on the street, he fed them, and he gave advice to people on the street he didn’t even know.”

Though Coleman was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, the DA did not charge him with murder. Surveillance footage did not capture the shooting of Maldonado. Instead camera footage in the apartment lobby showed Coleman running inside, holding the gun and yelling at people, Nayiliana said.

“If people were actually in the courthouse, if they were to see the look on the judge’s face, they could see the truth of it all,” Nayiliana said about the day of the verdict on the 2012 charges.

“The judge was in complete shock. (Coleman) himself was in shock, even his lawyer. Nobody expected that.”

Coleman served about a decade in prison. He was supposed to be in for 12 years, but was given an early release for “good behavior” last January, according to Maldonado’s mother, Luz Dejesus. Coleman was living on Sedgwick Avenue and Luz had seen him hanging around the corner from where she lived. She reached out to his parole officer multiple times to let them know that she didn’t feel safe.

“I even called his parole officer to let him know that he was living a few blocks from my home and should not live near me,” Luz said. “They stated they will see what they can do and nothing was ever done.”

Richburg lived less than a mile from both where he was fatally shot on Kingsbridge Road and from where Coleman lived. The street Richburg lived on is the same one that Maldonado was fatally shot on and only about 0.2 miles away. Tragically, Richburg was also a childhood friend of Nayiliana.

“I’ve known him growing up all my life,” she said of Richburg. “I’m not going to say we’ve always spoken all of these years because it’s been a while… He basically was on his own thriving, trying to survive, growing up young, losing both his parents.”

Two vigils were placed in honor of Richburg’s life, one where he was shot on Kingsbridge Road and another outside his apartment he resided in. About a hundred candles were placed for him, with pictures, flowers and video games commemorating his life. One sign at his apartment read, “Rest in perfect peace godson! I will miss your calls.”

Coleman was arraigned for his charges Tuesday at the Bronx Supreme Court.

“The justice system ignored all evidence given to them and witnesses that testified as well,” Luz said. “My son will never come back and neither will the other young man.”