Police looking for career criminal in shooting death of Christopher Duran, 14, in the Bronx
The NYPD said it is looking for Travis Bloch, 25, of the Bronx, in connection with the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Christopher Duran on a Bronx street on Friday, May 22, 2015. Credit: NYPD
Police are seeking a reputed career criminal in connection with last week's killing of 14-year-old Christopher Duran on a Bronx street, officials said.
Travis Bloch, 25, is believed to be the man shown in a surveillance video after Duran was gunned down on Sheridan Avenue right by his home last Friday, according to the NYPD.
Detectives released a mug shot of Bloch, who is believed to live in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. He is wanted for the homicide in which Duran was shot four times as he was walking to school, police said.
Law enforcement sources said Duran, despite his youth, was associated with gangs. But his family and friends disputed that in talks with reporters. Duran's wake was Thursday at the Ortiz RG Funeral Home in Washington Heights.
Bloch has a record of 29 arrests since 2001, when he was 10, and has spent time in jail every year since 2006, officials said. Most of the arrests are sealed, meaning that the cases were dismissed. But open records show Bloch was arrested, accused of selling drugs, assaulting a police officer and reckless endangerment, according to police.
Bronx court records show Bloch has two open cases there, including one connected with possession and sale of marijuana, and another in an assault in which he was accused of striking two male police officers. The alleged assault on the officers came as they were trying to arrest Bloch after a girlfriend accused him of striking her and bruising her face, a criminal complaint stated.
Police are asking for the public's help in locating Bloch. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting tips to 274637 (crimes), and then entering TIP577.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
