Killer who fatally shot man in NYC brawl was called to scene by his wife: DA, sources

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The alleged killer who shot a Bronx man to death during a neighborhood brawl over the weekend was called to the scene by his wife, prosecutors and sources said. 

Randy Blanche, 24, was killed Sunday night when Marcos Rodriguez — who is still at large — allegedly fired a pistol at him on West 174th Street near Popham Avenue in Morris Heights, according to cops and prosecutors. 

Rodriguez stepped in when his wife, Denise Aponte, 59, got swept up in the fight and pleaded with him to come outside, according to a complaint filed in Bronx criminal court. 

“You need to come downstairs – get down here,” Aponte ordered her hubby by phone, according to the court doc.  

Once Rodriguez showed up, he allegedly opened fire, striking Blanche in the head, prosecutors said. 

Blanche — who lived more than a mile away from the scene — was taken to Bronx Care Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, authorities said. 

Aponte, 59 – who lived around the corner from the scene – was picked up Monday in connection to the deadly violence and charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, cops said. 

She was arraigned Tuesday and ordered held without bail, prosecutors said. 

Aponte’s daughter, who wouldn’t identify herself, told The Post through her apartment intercom that her mom had no involvement in the deadly violence. 

“All the information you have is incorrect,” the younger woman said. “They charged the wrong person. I don’t know much, but I know they charged the wrong person. My mom was never on that scene for them to charge her with that crime. My mom’s a good person, a hard-working woman. My mom doesn’t get in trouble. She does community work, all that.”

The news of Aponte’s arrest also came as a shock to a neighbor, who only identified himself as Steve.

“The other night was crazy. There were a lot of cops here,” Steve said. “She’s a regular person, just hi and bye. You don’t see her doing anything bad. It’s shocking that she’s been charged with this.”

The glass of the building’s vestibule door was smashed in by cops, according to neighbors. 

When approached by the Post Tuesday, Blanche’s mother, Shonta Johnson would only say that her slain son “was my world.” 

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