Man Eats Cocaine From Brother's Butt, Dies

A South Carolina man's brother died after police said he was forced to eat cocaine hidden in his brother's backside.

Both brothers were taken into custody on allegations they had drugs in their car.

But police told Charleston, S.C., TV station WCIV there were additional drugs hidden in 23-year-old Deangelo Mitchell's backside.

Officers said Deangelo Mitchell convinced his brother, 20-year-old Wayne Mitchell, to swallow the ounce of cocaine to hide the evidence. He died soon afterward.

"It's sickening," North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt told WCIV. "I got upset when I saw the thing. I was pretty shocked on it."

Deangelo Mitchell already bonded out of jail on the drug charge, but now police are looking for him again on charges of involuntary manslaughter.

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Man falls from Central Park's Belvedere Castle

An adventurous but careless photographer plunged 15 to 20 feet from Belvedere Castle when he was trying to take pictures in Central Park today, authorities said.
The man was trying to climb up the rocks of the castle walls to get a better shot and tumbled to the ground around 5:10 p.m., breaking his legs, according to an FDNY spokesman.
EMS rushed the parkgoer to St. Luke's Hospital for treatment. His injuries were not life-threatening.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/man_falls_from_central_park_belvedere_yaszuS7uQe8naFhA8mxRlI#ixzz1bnvAxxib

3 Ignore Warnings Before Plunging to Their Death in Yosemite

Tuesday at Yosemite National Park, warning signs, a barricade, and people's urging voices were all ignored before all three hikers playing in Vernal Fall were swept over the 317-foot falls.

An eyewitness who saw three Yosemite hikers get swept away at Vernal Fall said the trio was warned to get away from the raging waterfall.

Just before the hikers fell in, Jake Bibee, 28, said he saw a man in his 40s leaning out over the waterfall, holding his 6-year-old daughter.

"The little girl is crying and screaming," Bibee said. "There's a 13- or a 14-year-old taking their picture. And everyone at the top of the falls is pissed. I'm kind of a firey guy. I'm yelling at him ... 'Get over here!' "

The man walked back to safety, but three other members of his group had also crossed over a safety barricade.

"They're taking pictures and being stupid," Bibee said. Ramina Badal, 21, of Manteca fell first. Then a man plunged in after her. They were clinging to each other, Bibee said.

"I'm watching the two of them being swept away," Bibee said. "I'm starting to jet for the edge. It's just instinct."

His friend Amanda Lee pulled him back and told him not to go.

A third person also fell in. The man looked back just as he was being swept over the edge of the falls, Bibee said.

"I knew they were not going to make it," Bibee said. "They're going over the waterfall. When we saw the first two, then I grabbed Amanda and held her head down so she wouldn't see. And I didn't look either. I'd seen two people die. I didn't want to watch another."

Bibee, who grew up in Angels Camp, said he was at Yosemite with Lee, who had never been to the national park. As they hiked up to the falls, Bibee said, they were discussing the dangers of the raging rivers and the force of the water from the melting snowpack.

"A lot of people from the Valley don't respect the water," Bibee said. "But you have to respect the water."

According to park ranger Scott Gediman,

"Basically one person lost his footing and he started to slide down, and the second person tried to rescue him and then the third," reports Reuters.

did not believe that Yacoub, David or Badal could have survived. "It's a 317-foot vertical drop over rushing water. It's not something that somebody can survive, unfortunately," said Gediman. "It's a tragic situation."

A witness Jake Bibee told the media, "It was no more than five or six seconds of them bobbing in the water screaming before they went over."

We had to watch the fear on their faces as they knew they were plunging to their death. It was awful."

There were many witnesses, said park spokesman Scott Gediman, who said often more than 100 people gather at the top of the waterfall on summer days, according to The Fresno Bee.

"Other visitors were pleading with them to come out of the water," said Gediman. But the requests to stay back from the river were dismissed by several hikers in the same party.

Vernal Falls is surrounded by a metal guard rail and signs in several languages warning hikers not to cross the barricade.

After the accident, the Mist Trail was closed on Tuesday afternoon as a search effort was made for the bodies. The trail was reopened Wednesday as rescuers moved to search the downstream.

While Yosemite National Park officials said the search operation will continue at the Merced River, the search itself was extremely dangerous and was being conducted largely on the shore and a footbridge at the base of the falls as crews try to spot the bodies or any clues, such as shoes or items of clothing, says Reuters.

The record snowfall during the past winter has filled rivers with high and freezing flows, making the search difficult.

Ranger and Incident Commander Jeff Webb said that the river swells with a rush of water each afternoon and evening, putting searchers at risk. It is impossible to use search boats, search dogs, and helicopters, according to Webb.

The current search effort by 20 to 30 searchers at the sides of the river will be cut back in the next several days if the bodies are not found, but will be renewed as the flow slows in the coming weeks, reports The Fresno Bee.

Man Dies Checking on His Boat during Hurricane

Bronx father of 13 whose body was found yesterday floating at a City Island marina just hours after Hurricane Irene tore through the area may be the city's only storm-related fatality, officials said.

José Sierra, 68, a plumber, arrived at the Sunset Marina at around 8 a.m., at the height of the storm, and waved to the its owner as he checked on his prized 16-passenger boat, which he'd purchased just last week.

The marina owner found his body at about 4:40 p.m.

"He was a fisherman, and he died doing what he loves," said his heartbroken daughter Carmen Sierra.

"He was a self-made man. Everybody knows him for his kindness and his charity. After fishing, he would just give out the fish to people. He was a beautiful man."

His cousin Denise Gonzalez, said, "He helped every house on the block for free. He did lots of plumbing for free."

In Rockland County, a 50-year-old good Samaritan was electrocuted after he rushed to help a father and son who were injured by a downed live wire.

The dad, 43, and his 6-year-old boy were checking out the damage near their Spring Valley home when they were shocked.

David Reichenberg, a father of four, rushed over to help and was killed.

"He was a fantastic man and husband. It was just like him to have done that without thinking," said his stepmother, Lillian Carleen.

"David was caring, he was such a good father."

The boy was critically hurt while his dad was in stable condition last night.

There were other storm-related fatalities in the area.

On Long Island, John Rocco, 68, drowned around 4 p.m. in Shirley after going out windsurfing.

And in Westchester, one man died after the inflatable boat he and four others were in capsized.

Rescue crews pulled them out of the Croton River near the Croton-Harmon Metro-North station at around 8 p.m., but the victim died at a hospital, the Journal News reported.

Via The New York Post

Seychelles shark attack kills honeymooning man

A British man on his honeymoon has been killed by a shark in theSeychelles, less than a fortnight after a French tourist was also fatally bitten in the waters off the same island.

The 30-year-old, named as Ian Redmond from Lancashire, was attacked on Tuesday while his bride was sunbathing on the shore, according to reports.

The shark struck in the waters off Anse Lazio beach on the island of Praslin, the second largest in the Indian Ocean archipelago and a popular destination with honeymooning Britons.

A tourist in a dinghy dragged the man on board and brought him ashore and another holidaymaker then tried to save his life, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

"We heard screaming and people started running down the beach towards the water," an American tourist was quoted as saying. "Someone had seen a fin sticking out of the water, and then we saw a dinghy pulling a man from the water.

"I saw the swimmer, who was missing a huge chunk of flesh from his left leg, so much so that I could see the bone of his thigh. He was sickeningly pale, but still had his flippers on both feet.

"At this point a woman ran over and started screaming. She said: 'That's my husband! We were just married.'

"Someone grabbed her and tried to keep her away. People all over the beach were just hugging whoever was close to them or trying to keep any children from witnessing what was going on."

Authorities in the Seychelles have asked for help from shark experts in South Africa to identify the creature, and a temporary ban on swimming or entering the waters around parts of Praslin has been ordered.

The Seychelles minister for home affairs and environment, Joel Morgan, also held an emergency meeting in the capital Victoria as the government tried to limit the potential damage to the tourism industry, the country's main source of foreign exchange.

The Seychelles' profile was given a boost in the UK when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent their honeymoon on North Island in May.

Alain St Ange, the head of the Seychelles tourism board, told the Daily Telegraph: "It was a freak accident. We are closing the beaches pending the arrival of experts from South Africa."

Fatal shark attacks in the Seychelles are thought to be rare – prior to the death of the French tourist the last recorded fatal attack there was recorded in 1963, according to local media reports.

The Foreign Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in the Seychelles. We are providing consular assistance to the next of kin."

The French tourist who died while snorkelling on 1 August was named in the Seychelles media as Nicolas François Virolle, 36. Other tourists on the beach were said to have hauled his body from the sea but he died from a massive loss of blood.

via The Guardian:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/16/seychelles-shark-attack-honeymoon

Ohio woman dies after falling into her recycling bin

A woman who died after falling face-first into a recycling bin and wasn't noticed until her husband came home had become stuck in a position in which she couldn't breathe, a Toledo, Ohio, coroner said.

Sheila Decoster, 62, was inside the bin for several hours before she was found on Friday, said Lucas County deputy coroner Diane Barnett. Her husband saw her legs sticking out of the container that sits alongside their porch.

"Honestly, I thought it was a dummy," Richard Decoster said. "I shook her leg and called her name, and I knew she was gone."

The couple, who were married for 43 years, kept their recycling and rubbish bins next to their porch, which does not have a railing. Investigators said it looked like Sheila Decoster was standing on her porch when she leaned over, lifted the lid on the bin and fell inside.

Her husband said she had some medical issues, including dizzy spells and an aneurism on her brain, which could explain why she fell. She also had back problems and a recent knee-replacement surgery.

There were many complaints about the large recycling bins when they were distributed two years ago. Residents said they were too big and difficult to move, especially for older and disabled people.

"It's tragic, but I think it's definitely an extreme example," said city spokeswoman Jen Sorgenfrei.

Via: Associated Press via The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/09/ohio-woman-dies-recycling-bin

Thief tries breaking into apartment. Slips, falls, dies.

A thief trying to make a quick escape fell to his death Monday morning after a resident bravely confronted him as he was breaking into her upper East Side apartment, cop sources said.

The would-be burglar was trying to slip into the fifth-floor apartment on E. 91st St. through a window screen when the woman called out - startling him, the sources said.

He fled from the fire escape onto the roof of the five-story building and then tried to make his way onto the roof of the neighboring building, the sources said.

But as he was crossing over he fell down an air shaft about 10:20 a.m., the sources said.

He died at the scene. Police officials did not immediately release his name. Witnesses who saw his body after the fall said he appeared to be young, possibly in his 20s.

"I heard this bang," said James Charles, 55, a maintenance worker in the building. He said he at first assumed an air conditioner had fallen from a window.

"I looked out the window and there was this guy," he said.

The air shaft is covered with chicken wire, and the burglar may have tried to walk across it instead of jumping over it, one police source said.

Cops were investigating the scene Monday afternoon as the burglar's lifeless body remained at the bottom of the air shaft.

Via: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/08/08/2011-08-08_thief_tries_to_break_into_fifthfloor_upper_east_side_apartment_through_window_sl.html#ixzz1UTR57tuq

Driver Found Dead Inside Bus Idling At Port Authority For 5 Hours

NJ Transit bus driver Thomas Truex, who had 26 years on the job, was found dead in his idling bus at the Port Authority bus terminal yesterday—five hours after he was supposed to have headed back to the Meadowlands to return the vehicle to the garage. Investigators say the death isn't being treated as suspicious, but the incident has the Port Authority and NJ Transit scrambling to do damage control.

Truex dropped off his last passengers at 10:30 a.m., but his body wasn't found until almost five hours later, and NJ Transit didn't notice the bus was missing until 3 p.m. Around the same time, the Port Authority called NJ Transit to alert them that one of their buses was "not in a good location," and had been parked for some time in a spot where drivers usually park for a quick bathroom or coffee break. When a NJ Transit supervisor went to check it out, he found Truex dead in a passenger seat. The cause of death is so far unknown.

Port Authority Spokesman Steve Coleman tells the North Jersey Record, "We probably need to take a look at coordination we have with operation staff in terms of making sure if anything looks out of place or a driver didn’t report back that there are employees who can notify us ASAP so we can check it out." And New Jersey Transit said they'll look at their procedures moving forward. In the meantime, if you're looking to take a bus for a joyride, you've got at least a five hour window before anybody starts wondering where the hell it went.

via:http://gothamist.com/2011/08/01/driver_found_dead_inside_bus_that_i.php

Man Fishing, Finds Brick of Powder, Snorts it, Dies.

A Merritt Island man died after a bizarre trip out on the water with his brother Wednesday.

Thomas Swindal, 53, was offshore on Marathon when he and his brother Kenneth discovered a brick of an unknown substance, possibly cocaine, floating in the water.

They ended up tossing the package into a bait well until a short time later, when Kenneth said he turned around and saw his brother snorting some of the substance.

Kenneth told investigators that about 90 minutes later, Thomas began running around the boat, throwing things into the water, including a cell phone and a VHF radio. Thomas also picked up knives, pliers and a gaff and removed the cowling from the engine, which fell overboard and sank, leaving the brothers stranded.

To avoid further dangers, Kenneth said he tossed all remaining sharp objects into the water, as well as the package of the mysterious substance.

Kenneth then climbed to the top of the boat to signal for help. A passing vessel picked the men up, and arrangements were made for paramedics to meet them at shore.

Thomas Swindal was rushed to Fishermen's Hospital, then transferred to South Miami Hospital, where he died on Thursday.

An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death and perhaps the type of drug Swindal ingested.

-- (Information for this report came from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office news blog)

Read more: http://www.wpbf.com/news/28716505/detail.html#ixzz1TnH7IRDI

Death by Xbox

LONDON — The family of a budding computer programmer have on Saturday launched a campaign to raise awareness about the health risks of playing online computer games after their son died following a marathon session on his Xbox.

A post-mortem revealed that 20-year-old Chris Staniforth -- who was offered a place to study Game Design at Leicester University -- was killed by a pulmonary embolism, which can occur if someone sits in the same position for several hours.

Deep vein thrombosis normally affects passengers on long-haul flights, but medical experts fear youngsters who spend hours glued to their consoles might also be at risk and have urged them to take regular breaks.

Professor Brian Colvin -- an expert on blood-related conditions -- said it was "unhealthy" for youngsters to spend long periods in front of their consoles.

"There's anxiety about obesity and children not doing anything other than looking at computer screens," he told The Sun.

David Staniforth has now launched a campaign to warn other parents of the dangers.

"Games are fun and once you've started playing it's hard to stop.

"Kids all over the country are playing these games for long periods - they don't realise it could kill them," he told The Sun.

A coroner's court in Sheffield was told how the youngster -- who had no underlying medical conditions -- was complaining of a low heart rate before collapsing outside a Jobcentre.

Staniforth's distraught father said his son would spend up to 12 hours playing on his Xbox.

"He got sucked in playing Halo online against people from all over the world."

Online computer games are extremely popular as thousands interact in shared science fiction worlds.

Reports of gamers collapsing after spending 15 hours in front of video games are fairly common throughout Asia.

In 2005, a South Korean gamer died after playing online games for three days without taking a break.

Microsoft -- which manufactures the Xbox -- said it "recommend gamers take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits."

Via http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5itdcZAJhnhurpOzUq8nDwHT1D8pw?docId=CNG.d76d1890df3edca8dd08181cb6808c7f.01

Man's Plot to Kill Girlfriend Ends in His Death

A CALIFORNIAN man who tried to kill his girlfriend by leaving her in a car parked across railway lines was himself killed when an oncoming train hurled the car into him as he fled.

His girlfriend survived, the Associated Press reported.

The man drove the car to the head of a line of traffic stopped at a level crossing in the San Fernando Valley neighbourhood of Sunland on Monday, police spokesman Mike Lopez said.

The man, who was seen arguing with the woman, then parked the car on the tracks and jumped out, leaving her behind, Mr Lopez said.

A 450-tonne commuter train hit the rear of the car, launching it into the man.

The girlfriend, who was injured , was taken to hospital in a stable condition.

"She gets hit by a train and lives. He gets hit by his own car and he dies,'' Mr Lopez said.

No one aboard the train, which was carrying 132 passengers and crew, was injured, a Metrolink spokeswoman said.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/mans-plot-to-kill-girlfriend-ends-with-his-death/story-e6frfkp9-1111113587801#ixzz1PM5jqnM5

Two Teens Dead in Long Island Cesspool Accident

FARMINGVILLE (WABC) -- Two teenagers were pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Medical Center Thursday morning following a fall into a cesspool on Long Island Wednesday night.

The incident began just after 8 p.m. Wednesday in Farmingville, when authorities say the boys lifted the concrete cover off the cesspool.

Vanegas-Fuentes lost his footing and fell in, and Calderon-Castro followed in a desperate attempt to save his friend.

Suarez told me he didn't know what was down the cement block in his backyard. He was trying to move the slab to use it for the base of a campfire. The cesspool is about 16 feet deep and was half full of waste at the time. Authorities say Venegas-Fuentes soon lost consciousness after the fall.

Edgar was standing to his left. Eduardo watched from the right.

Eduardo lost his footing and slipped, tumbling into the toxic mix of chemicals and feces.

"He grabbed the sides. He was standing, but he passed out," Suarez said.

Edgar then panicked and jumped into the same hole.

"You could see him drowning and Eduardo doesn't know how to swim, I was going to jump first, but Edgar jumped first, I grabbed a hose and tried to give it to him," he said.

Samuel ran and called 911. Within seconds paramedics arrived, but by then both teens were in grave condition.

Authorities used a 12-foot pole to grab the clothing of one victim and pull him out. They used a roof ladder with hooks to rescue the other.

"With the ladder's hooks, we were able to hook him out, get him out," Farmingville assistant fire chief Ralph Gloria said. "We performed CPR on both of them. Both patients were transported to Stony Brook University in cardiac arrest."

Vanegas-Fuentes was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Medical Center Thursday morning. Calderon-Castro succombed to his injuries shortly thereafter.

Homicide Squad detectives are continuing the investigation.

Via ABC News NY http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/long_island&id=8166053

Driver Crushed by Own Oil Truck When He Forgets to Set Brake

A truck driver delivering oil to a Bronx home died Tuesday after he forgot to set the parking brake and the vehicle ran over him, police said.

The 62-year-old was making a delivery to a building on MaceAve. near Gabriel Drive in Pelham Gardens about 1:30 p.m. when he stepped out of the truck and left it in neutral, cops said.

The driver was standing in front of the truck when it began to move forward and knocked him to the ground, cops said.

The wheels rolled over the man's legs, fatally injuring him, police said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/04/14/2011-04-14_driver_crushed_by_his_own_oil_truck_in_the_bronx_after_he_forgets_to_set_the_par.html#ixzz1JWTUUEzg

Thief Falls to Death When Branch Won't Hold Him

A tree-climbing bandit attempting to break into a Brooklyn home Thursday died after a branch snapped and sent him plummeting to the ground, police said.

The 33-year-old somehow got onto the roof of the three-story Bushwick building and made a leap toward the tree shortly before 9 a.m., cops said.

Investigators say they believe the man was trying to use the tree to break into an apartment in the Chauncey St. building, sources said.

But the weak branch couldn't support the would-be burglar and he fell to the ground when it broke.

The man died at the scene. Police withheld his name, pending notification of his family.

In February, a 23-year-old man survived a three-story plunge when he fell through a fire escape trying to break into his ex-boyfriend's Manhattan apartment.

Miguel Angel De La Torre broke his back in the February incident and was treated at St. Luke's Hospital.

Authorities said he was harassing his 41-year-old former flame and faced charges for violating an order of protection.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/04/08/2011-04-08_leaping_bandit_picks_wrong_tree_to_climb_falls_to_his_death_when_branch_breaks.html#ixzz1IxNO2QTn

Exec Falls to Death While Smoking

A high-powered Wall Street executive accidentally fell to his death from a window in his fifth-floor Upper East Side apartment last night, a law-enforcement source said.

Keith Mastronardi, 31, was leaning out the window while smoking when he slipped at 10:25, according to the source. He and his wife had three children. She was in the East 74th Street apartment when the tragic accident took place, and was taken out on a stretcher. Mastronardi was head of exotic derivatives at the India-based firm Vyapar Capital Market Partners.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/exec_death_plunge_Gws8h1JEqVa0OREDvtaijK#ixzz1IZ3y2VRH

As Ice Thaws, Body is Found in Snowed in Car

Freezing rain fell on the navy blue BMW that sat on a narrow side street in Astoria, Queens, last week, and the ice-encrusted snow soon concealed its roof and windows hiding the body of a Queens man who evidently died of carbon monoxide poisoning while warming up the car. The tailpipe was likely blocked with snow.

Marcus Yam for The New York Times

People said they walked past the parked BMW, on a corner in Astoria, Queens, for two days without noticing anything odd.

People who live in the neighborhood said they walked past the car, which was parked on 28th Street, for two days without noticing anything odd. At the same time, some friends were concerned over the disappearance on Wednesday of a young Albanian immigrant, Argent Dyryzi, who lived nearby. On Friday, they had fliers printed and went up and down 28th Street, passing the snowbound car at the corner of Newtown Avenue several times.

It was not until Friday night, after the weather had turned slightly warmer and some snow and ice had melted from the car’s windows, that a passer-by could make out a figure slumped over the wheel. It was the body of Mr. Dyryzi.

The BMW belonged to one of the two roommates that Mr. Dyryzi, 31, shared an apartment with a half block away.

The body was frozen with no signs of trauma, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

An autopsy was completed on Saturday. “We need to do further toxicology tests to determine the cause of death,” Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner, said Sunday.

But Romina Perkaj, a friend of Mr. Dyryzi’s, said she had learned from the medical examiner’s office that his organs showed discoloration that could be associated with carbon monoxide poisoning. The law enforcement official confirmed her account.

Ms. Perkaj said she believed that Mr. Dyryzi had died on Wednesday.

Via The New York Times

Woman dies after butt implant procedure

A British tourist who flew to Philadelphia for illegal buttock enhancement surgery has died from medical complications. The woman, who has not been named, reportedly checked into a Hampton Inn hotel to have the back-room procedure. The woman complained of chest pain after she received silicone injections and was taken to a local hospital, where she died early Tuesday morning, according to NBC Philadelphia. The Delaware County medical examiner told the NBC affiliate that the preliminary cause of death is the silicone injected into the woman's vascular system. The victim was one of four women who flew across the Atlantic earlier this month for the posterior-enhancing procedure. They all had traveled to Philadelphia for hotel room appointments for the surgery. The police have not released the name of the party who reserved the rooms at the Hampton Inn or who administered the silicone. Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

via The New York Daily News

Party Crasher Kills Woman at Surprise Birthday Party

A young Queens woman was killed by a party crasher who fired shots through a closed door after she helped toss him from the bash Sunday, cops and her family said.

Avalisa Morris, 26, had planned the surprise party in St. Albans for a close friend's birthday. She spent all day Saturday cooking Caribbean food for the special occasion, her stunned family said.

"She was a people pleaser," said her great-uncle, Spencer Grant. "She was in the act of doing something kind and suffered a senseless death."

The man who crashed the party at a two-story home on 119th Road came to see a female guest over a previous dispute, police and Morris' family said.

He was kicked out and had a basement door locked behind him shortly before 4:30a.m. Morris was the one who made sure the party crasher and others involved in the argument didn't get back inside.

"She was at the door, and the people that were fighting went outside," said her cousin, Larrissa Whyte, who was at the party.

"And she closed the door, and she was standing by the door to make sure that they didn't come back in."

Furious over getting the boot, the party crasher ruthlessly fired at least two rounds through the closed door. Morris was hit in the head and the abdomen, police said. She fell to the floor and died.

Whyte, who helped Morris plan the party, was upstairs when the gunfire set off pandemonium in the basement.

"Everybody ran up the stairs to come out the front door," Whyte told the Daily News outside the party as detectives investigated her cousin's murder.

"I was looking for her, and somebody said she got shot. So I went downstairs."

Whyte broke down in tears as she recalled finding her mortally wounded cousin lying on the floor, just inside the basement door.

The killer fled the scene. Police said two people were being questioned at the 113rd Precinct stationhouse early last night.

As detectives worked to catch the killer, Morris' loved ones grieved at a family home in Springfield Gardens, Queens. Grant, Morris' great-uncle, described her as "so friendly and so, so courteous."

"Every time I seen her, it was always a hug and a smile," he said. "I never saw her angry."

Morris worked as a personal banker at a Capitol One branch in Queens. She was born in Jamaica and came to the U.S. a dozen years ago. The party was for a friend who worked at the Macy's in Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, L.I.

"She cooked all day," said Morris' aunt, Audrelyn Anderson, remembering how Morris spent Saturday cooking for the party. She made Caribbean dishes like oxtail, goat, and rice and peas.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/02/06/2011-02-06_woman_shot_at_birthday_bash_by_party_crasher.html#ixzz1DHnu8Kqv