Jonathan Pettigrew, 41, was gunned down on a Bronx city bus Monday afternoon after asking a teenage passenger to lower the volume on his cell phone, police said.
The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. on a BX36 bus traveling along White Plains Road in Parkchester, according to authorities. Pettigrew, who was shot in the stomach, was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Background
Pettigrew had been heading to pick up his 7-year-old daughter from daycare when the confrontation erupted with a youth believed to be between 13 and 16 years old, his brother, Avery Pettigrew, told the New York Post. The argument began over the teenager talking loudly into his cell phone, authorities said.
The devoted father had recently turned his life around, according to his family. He had secured employment that enabled him and his daughter to move out of a homeless shelter and into their own apartment.
"He just got his apartment, just got out of the shelter and… he got his daughter," Avery Pettigrew said. "My brother was not a street person. He was a good kid. He was never a gangbanged — none of that."
Pettigrew leaves behind his mother, who recently suffered a stroke, and his brother. Family members described him as quick-witted, hardworking and a devoted Knicks fan hoping to see the team break their decades-long NBA championship drought.
"She’s too young to understand," Avery Pettigrew said of his niece. "When she gets the mind to start asking for her father, we’re going to have to try to make her understand. She’s really her daddy’s little girl."
The Investigation
The shooter fled south on White Plains Road carrying a black handgun, according to police and sources. He remained at large as of Wednesday evening.
The NYPD has released no description of the suspect beyond his approximate age range. Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage from the bus and surrounding area, authorities said.
Avery Pettigrew announced plans to sue the city over his brother's death, arguing that MTA passengers should be safe from such violence. "I need justice for my brother," he said.
"We all were raised like that. In our time we would put the kids in their place if they did wrong," Avery Pettigrew added. "My brother is gonna let people know right from wrong: 'Yo, can you bring it down a little bit?' The kid probably took it the wrong way and shot my brother."
Key Takeaways
- Jonathan Pettigrew, 41, was fatally shot on a BX36 bus in Parkchester, Bronx, after confronting a teen about talking loudly on his cell phone
- He was shot in the stomach and died at a local hospital without seeing his daughter again
- The shooter, believed to be between 13 and 16 years old, fled south on White Plains Road with a black handgun and remains at large
- Pettigrew had recently moved into his own apartment with his daughter after leaving a homeless shelter
- His brother plans to sue the city over the killing
What's Next
Police are continuing their search for the teenage suspect. Detectives are analyzing surveillance footage and pursuing leads in the Parkchester neighborhood. No arrests have been made, and authorities have not released a detailed description of the shooter or any images from the incident.
The investigation is being handled by the NYPD's 43rd Precinct detective squad.