CLAREMONT, The Bronx (WABC) — The sister of a man who was severely injured in a shooting in the Bronx on Wednesday, is speaking out about his condition and the disgruntled tenant who allegedly shot him and two others, leaving a superintendent dead.
Orlando Nieves is fighting for his life after death came for him at his own doorstep. His sister is not sure if he’ll walk again.
“He’s paralyzed from the neck down, but right now they are trying to keep him comfortable and we’re all just praying, and I thank everyone for praying with us,” said Nieves’ sister Jacqueline Anderson.
She never thought it would be her own brother. He was at his building on College Avenue in the Bronx Wednesday morning, when disgruntled tenant Jimmy Avila, with a bone to pick about access to the backyard, allegedly opened fire, killing the superintendent, and wounding two others, including Nieves who was shot in the chest.
“He just wanted my brother to just get out and my brother I guess said words to him and I guess he just pulled out a gun and started shooting people,” Anderson said.
Avila was taken to the hospital before court, where he will have to answer for murder, attempted murder and weapons possession charges.
He has a documented mental health and arrest history. The question baffling the sister of one of his victims is how it got to this point when the warning signs were there.
“Somebody should have got him help,” Anderson said. “No one’s doing anything about it. So, the mayor needs to step up and do something about this because it’s getting out of hand.”
Mayor Eric Adams was in the Bronx Thursday night at the site of another shooting, where a basketball tournament turned blood sport ended with five people gunned down, Saturday night.
The mayor promised to flood the zone.
“We have a thousand new officers in the Bronx, and we’re going to ensure that they are in the hot spots,” Adams said. “We are going to get on — be on the ground to talk with and partner with our crisis management team so they can identify some of the gang rivalries.”
A gang war was not to blame for Orlando Nieves’ shooting, but he was a victim of this recent rash of violence, and not everyone survived.
“It’s a miracle that he’s still here, and we thank God for that,” Anderson said.
———-
* 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.
Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.