Gun victim dies 37 yrs. after shot

An innocent man who was paralyzed by a stray bullet 37 years ago died on Sunday.

Modesto Rodriguez Guzman, 56, was wounded in 1980 and was left unable to move below his waist or take care of himself, according to police.

His mother discovered his lifeless body at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Bronx apartment where she had cared for him ever since the incident, she told The Post.

“We are so broken. I lost my son,” Eneida Rodriguez, 83, said via a translator. “Thirty years of taking care of him. I am trying to stay strong.”

In 1980, Guzman and his wife were traveling from their Brooklyn home to visit a high-school friend in Washington Heights when they were caught up in gunfire at Broadway and 162nd Street, according to relatives.

The family never pushed for an investigation, fearing retribution.

Guzman, a professional musician before the tragedy, underwent some 30 surgeries but was never able to walk again, although he did regain the ability to play music.

He took pain medication for nerve damage but did not have a drug problem, family said.

Relatives are still hoping someone will own up to the shooting.

“We hope this story helps bring justice,” said his sister, who declined to give her name. “Maybe someone will remember and come forward.”