FATAL FAMILY FEUD
Rikers guard charged in slay of his uncle on Upper West Side
Their buddies saw no outward signs of hostility between city correction officer Cardell Gadsden and his uncle Steven Gadsden. And then the pair climbed inside a pal’s minivan for a New Year’s evening ride.
A still-mysterious family squabble exploded into swift and stunning violence, with 37-year-old Steven left dead from two gunshots on an Upper West Side street and Cardell facing a murder rap, authorities said Thursday.
“Cardell just shot me. Cardell just killed me. Tell my kids I love them,” the doomed man said in earshot of a witness, prosecutors said Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court.
“It’s unfathomable,” said Ike P., a close friend of the slain man. “I can’t wrap my head around it. I don’t even know how that escalated to that point. I just can’t understand it.”
Cardell Gadsden, 30, offered no insights into what ignited his homicidal rage while he was off duty around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. The accused killer said nothing after surrendering to police less than two hours after the killing and ignored reporters’ questions Thursday when led out of the 24th Precinct stationhouse in handcuffs to appear in court.
No clues surfaced at Gadsden’s criminal court appearance, though a police source said the men were arguing over “family matters” such as finances and living conditions.
Assistant District Attorney Alfred Peterson said the two were driving to the precinct — he didn’t say why — right before the shooting.
“It’s unfathomable,” said Ike P., a close friend of the slain man. “I can’t wrap my head around it. I don’t even
know how that escalated to that point. I just can’t understand it.”
“It’s crazy, man,” said Monty Boyd, 48, who knew Steven through the construction trade. “As far as I know, everything (between them) was good.”
Cardell Gadsden was charged with murder and criminal use of a weapon. Steven Gadsden died of his injuries at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s shortly after the gunfire.
The correction officer fled the scene of the shooting but later reached out to police, acknowledging that he fired his weapon and agreed to surrender, authorities said. A Rikers Island
officer who joined the Correction Department in 2015, he was in custody by 11:30 p.m., officials said.
Wearing a black leather jacket over a police-issued white Tyvek jumpsuit, Cardell kept his head tilted toward the ground as he was led off Thursday to await arraignment. Cardell was immediately suspended from his job without pay as his family struggled to come to grips with the brutal killing.
The victim’s distraught girlfriend, sobbing uncontrollably, collapsed against an elevator wall Thursday morning after arriving at the Harlem building where the Gadsden family lives.
“They killed him!” she cried out as another woman hugged and consoled her. “They killed my baby!”
Steven, the father of a teenage girl and a 10-yearold son, was an avid football fan and loved to play basketball, according to friends. He and Cardell lived in the same building as the suspect’s grandmother, who was reeling from the death and arrest.
“We can’t speak on anything at this point,” the grandmom told The News. “I haven’t seen my grandson since the incident. We’re doing the best we can right now.”
The minivan driver pulled over on Manhattan
Ave. and W. 107th St. as the tensions escalated between his two passengers. The argument shifted to the street — where Cardell allegedly fatally blasted his uncle in the torso and arm, cops said.
Judge James Clynes ordered Cardell Gadsden held without bail until he returns to court Tuesday.
His lawyer, Peter Troxler, asked for medical attention, and protective custody since he’s a correction officer.
“He is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Troxler said after the arraignment. “The matter is still under investigation. There are many things we think will be favorable to his defense going forward.”
Steven’s friend Ike P. described the Gadsden clan as a tight-knit group, especially since Cardell’s mom Nathalie was slain in a November 2007 doublehomicide. And a Harlem neighbor agreed there was no indication of ill will between killer and victim before the shooting.
“Two good young men, both good fellas,” the neighbor said. “I’m so shocked and I don’t know what to say … It’s messed up. I was just talking to (Steven) yesterday. He was getting ready to go to work.”