Police investigate a double homicide on Summerfield Street in Ridgewood last week. Photo by Phil Corso
Police were still trying to piece together why a Ridgewood couple was found shot to death inside their new apartment last week, officials said.
Cops identified the victims as 22-year-old Louis Oscar Padilla-Lopez and 21-year-old Natalie Mejia-Tavares, who died of gunshot wounds to their head and torso, respectively, around 6:45 p.m. inside their Summerfield Street apartment Thursday night, police said. No gun was recovered at the scene near Seneca Avenue and no arrests have been made so far, the NYPD said.
Police said Padilla-Lopez already had a few arrests under his belt, including two in Queens for criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance, the NYPD said. He was also arrested in Nassau County last year and charged with driving while intoxicated and disorderly conduct. Those charges, however, were still pending when he was killed, a spokesman for the Nassau County District Attorney’s office confirmed.
It was still unclear as to why the couple was gunned down, but police officials said they were not ruling out drugs as a motive for the crime.
A Ridgewood resident who lived nearby told The Forum the couple was new to the area and did not strike him as particularly suspicious. Police were still investigating the scene into Friday afternoon evening members of the 104th Precinct Detective Squad, the department said.
At the scene, an officer said the Police Department was offering up to $2,000 to anyone with tips leading to an arrest. Anyone with information was asked to call the 104th Precinct at (718) 386-3004 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-8477.
By Phil Corso
