Ashley Ballard’s Legacy and Harry Mendoza’s Demise The police are searching for the man who shot and killed a man and an adolescent in East Harlem. He is still at large. Sunday night, about 7:30 p.m., there were gunshots heard close to East 128th Street and Lexington Avenue. Ashley Ballard, an 18-year-old, allegedly took a bullet to the back. After being taken to Harlem Hospital, it was discovered that she had died.
Not only was 25-year-old Harry Mendoza shot in the head, but he was declared deceased. The victims passed away two hours apart. The residents of the area claimed not to have heard any loud disagreements or altercations prior to the shooting. The only thing they can recall was the thunderous gunshots. The shooter is still being sought after by the authorities at this time. They are also looking into whether or not the shooting was a targeted attack and whether the victims knew one another.
A father from East Harlem was stabbed to death and lived about twenty years ago. Police declared on Sunday that they had captured the individual they believe is responsible for his death. A bullet from 2006 remained lodged in Michael Smith’s chest when he was brutally stabbed on March 17 in an apartment at E. 132nd St. and Madison Ave., his grieving family revealed to the Daily News. Police detained Anthony Jordan, 63, on Tuesday and put him under arrest on murder charges. Five days after his apprehension, the NYPD made the announcement on Sunday.
He is being held without the ability to post bail on Rikers Island. The criminal complaint against the defendant states that a woman saw Jordan knelt down on Smith and knife him four times.
According to the lawsuit, Jordan can be seen on tape walking down a stairwell while holding a large knife with an orange handle in a gloved hand and leaking blood from both. Smith was only a few blocks away from his aunt’s Lincoln Houses home when he was attacked. The grieving widow stated that the man visited his aunt on a regular basis. Although the reason of Smith’s death was unknown on Sunday, police believe the murderer was acquainted with him.
On March 24, 2006, Smith was shot several times on E. 128th St. near Lexington Ave., just a quarter of a mile from the scene of his murder the previous week. Six months later, authorities detained 45-year-old Rodney McNeil on charges of trying to kill someone. Smith has a criminal history. Public records show that he was sentenced to 14 months in state prison for a conviction linked to an attempted robbery in Manhattan; he was released in June 1997.
His relatives wouldn’t elaborate on their claims that he was unable to work following the shooting. Smith’s three adult children are having a hard time processing their father’s death, according to Smith’s aunt. His murder is the second one this year in the NYPD’s 25th Precinct, which saw seven slayings in total in 2023, according to police records.
