NYC's 1st homicide of 2023: Loved ones want justice after man killed, girlfriend stabbed
WEST BRONX, Bronx (WABC) -- New York City recorded its first homicide of 2023 only a few hours into the new year.
Police say a 63-year-old man was stabbed to death in the Bronx over an argument about a parking space before the attacker ran off.
Video of the incident may tell a different story, however. Video shows there is definitely a fight that takes a violent turn, but only one vehicle - a black van belonging to the victim - is parked in front of the building.
The 63-year-old victim is someone that no one expected to become a victim of violence.
Friends of Sergio Garcia, or "Bido," as they knew him best held a vigil Monday afternoon calling for justice and urging the NYPD to find the man who stabbed him.
Multiple cameras captured Garcia and his girlfriend, first arguing before he gets into his black van and she doesn't seem to want to go.
A few minutes later, people come out of the building next door and argue with them, before it escalates into a physical altercation.
After he was wounded, Garcia was still standing. He got back into the van with his girlfriend, who was also injured.
Police say that's when they drove themselves to nearby Bronx Lebanon Hospital. He did not survive his injuries and she is recovering.
"I couldn't have asked for a better neighbor," said neighbor Marta Roman.
Roman lives next door. She's battling cancer and says he would check in on her.
"Nobody can't tell me nothing, or the reason why they did that to him, because there's no reason for that, it shouldn't have got to that extreme," Roman said.
At a vigil Monday afternoon, dozens of members of Bronx basketball leagues, some, who like Garcia had played professionally in the Dominican Republic, gathered to honor their friend, including some who knew him more than 30 years.
"Era como mi hermano," said friend Hugo Diaz.
Diaz says he was like a brother and that their friend "Bido" loved this family and his children, including an 8-year-old girl.
Garcia's girlfriend, again, is also recovering from stab wounds as police look for the people who attacked them in the early hours of New Year's Day.
His friends and neighbors say neither of them deserved this and they want to see the person or people who did this held accountable.
ALSO READ | 3 officers attacked by man with machete blocks away from Times Square celebration
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
