A 58-year-old Mount Vernon man is facing murder charges after police say he gunned down his niece on a Bronx street early Tuesday, in what investigators believe stemmed from a dispute over a family home.
Michael Foster was taken into custody Wednesday evening and charged with murder, manslaughter, and ten counts of criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the death of 39-year-old Julia Anderson.
What Happened on Murdock Avenue
Police say Anderson had just finished an overnight shift working as an aide at a group home for developmentally disabled adults in the Wakefield section of the Bronx. She was heading to her black Jeep Grand Cherokee, which had distinctive pink trim, near Murdock and Nereid avenues, when the attack occurred just before midnight.
Investigators say a gunman approached the vehicle and fired shots through the passenger side window, striking Anderson multiple times in the abdomen while she was believed to be sitting in the driver’s seat. Two shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Officers responding to a 911 call found Anderson on the ground near her SUV. She was rushed to NYC Health and Hospitals Jacobi Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries. The shooter fled the scene on a moped, and police say Foster remained at large for roughly a day and a half before he was arrested.
A Dispute Over Property
Authorities have not laid out a detailed motive, but sources close to the investigation say the shooting followed tension between Foster and Anderson over an inherited property.
The two reportedly shared a home on Bell Avenue in Mount Vernon. Investigators searched that residence Wednesday night, with members of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit seen carrying out evidence bags and examining a gun box outside the property.
Sources told reporters the shooting does not appear to have been connected to a robbery.
Anderson’s family says she was just a month shy of turning 40. Her mother, Beverly Patterson, said she typically got home around midnight and that her family would listen for the familiar sound of her arriving. When that sound never came Monday night, Patterson said she began to worry something was wrong.
Coworkers and neighbors described Anderson as a devoted and warm-hearted caregiver. One neighbor who also worked alongside her said the news left him devastated, adding that he could hardly process what had happened to someone so kind.
Foster was being held pending arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court. Police have not released further details about the investigation, and it remains unclear whether additional charges may follow as the case moves forward.
