Memorial grows for woman stabbed by ex-boyfriend in Washington Heights
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- Pictures of a smiling Shirley Rodriguez are posted outside her building on Haven Avenue in Washington Heights - along with some flowers and candles.
It is only steps away from what was a gruesome scene a day earlier - and those who caught a glimpse of it, say they are still struggling with it.
"The neighborhood has just really been shaken up," said neighbor Arie Vasquez.
Blood had to be rinsed away from the side of the building, the sidewalk and even a parked car where the 29-year-old's killer stabbed her repeatedly and dragged her early Monday morning in front of witnesses and cameras - and she tried to fight back.
Neighbor Alonso Feliz heard the cries for help. He says Rodriguez was already so badly hurt that by the time paramedics arrived, there was nothing they could do.
Rodriguez was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital, but not before telling her father, who had come running out to find her wounded, that her ex-boyfriend was the one who attacked her. He had been waiting for her.
Neighbors chased her ex-boyfriend down the block, but tell Eyewitness News that he hopped a fence and got away. They are relieved to hear that he has been arrested and that this was not an attack by a stranger.
"It's gut-wrenching, because it could be anyone that you know. I didn't know her personally, but she was a neighbor," said Vasquez.
Tyquan Jemmot, 33, is currently in police custody. Sources tell Eyewitness News he was arrested at a family member's home in the Bronx on Monday night. His charges are still pending.
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