Vigil held for Bronx man killed in mistaken gang attack

A vigil was held in Bimpey’s home neighborhood of Morrisania in the Bronx at the Claremont Community Center.

Heather Fordham and Adolfo Carrion

Dec 22, 2023, 10:45 PM

Updated 346 days ago

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A Bronx family and the local community are in mourning after an 18-year-old man from the Bronx was killed one week ago. Police believe it was a case of mistaken identity. 
Denzel Bimpey was a student at SUNY Morrisville who returned home last Friday for winter break. Police say that Bimpey and his friends were approached by three men when getting their bags from the bus. They say the group asked Bimpey what block he was from. 
Law enforcement officials say Bimpey told the three men he was not in a gang, and things quickly escalated from there. Bimpey was stabbed three times. They say the suspect and two other men who were involved are all students at SUNY Onondaga. 
The NYPD is now searching for a suspect in this case - 18-year-old Thierno Bah.
A vigil was held in Bimpey’s home neighborhood of Morrisania in the Bronx at the Claremont Community Center. Family and friends say that he was a beacon of joy and positivity to those who knew him. 
NYPD investigators are currently operating under the belief that those three men are part of a gang in Harlem and mistook Bimpey for someone in a rival gang.