A 34-year-old Bronx dad who just welcomed a baby son and spent much of his youth in the ring as a promising amateur boxer was gunned down outside an elementary school late Tuesday, cops said.
Carlos Teron — who started boxing at only 9 years old and ultimately made his way to an elite amateur tournament — was shot in the head minutes before 11 p.m. on Clinton Avenue near East 178th Street in West Farms, outside P.S. 595 – The Colibrí Community School, according to police and his brother.
Teron, who was married with a 2-month-old son, Cairo, was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he clung to life before succumbing to his injuries.
His older brother, Jorge Teron, 39, a former professional boxer now based in Las Vegas, told The Post he was in bed when Carlos’ wife called his own wife with the shattering news.
“I said, ‘What’s going on?’ and she finally told me what happened, and I started screaming,” Jorge said in a Wednesday afternoon phone interview. “It’s something no one ever expected — no call like that.
“He had a 2-month-old baby boy at home,” a choked-up Jorge added. “Things were looking up for him. He just got a new car. He was working, he just got a new apartment and car. Things were really looking good for him, and he was excited.”
Jorge — a former NABO Lightweight champion who competed from 2005 to 2011 — said his brother followed in his footsteps but was a strong boxer in his own right.
Carlos’ boxing career spanned from 2004 to 2008, and he took part in the acclaimed New York Daily News Golden Gloves tournament.
“He had over 100 amateur fights,” his brother said. “He was a very good amateur boxer. He followed in my steps in that regard. When we were growing up, anytime you saw me, you saw him.”
“He wanted to be a boxer just like me,” Jorge added. “He was a very good boxer himself, not just because of me, but he was just a good boxer by himself.”
When Carlos was a junior at Wildcat Academy in the Bronx — and had just racked up a win in the finals of the USA Boxing Junior Metropolitan Championships — he told The Daily News he was “actually more a boxer than my brother, but we have similar styles.”
“He helped me box when I was young,” Carlos said during the 2007 interview. “I saw all the trophies he was winning, and I wanted to have some of my own. I saw how all the hard work for him has paid off, and now it’s starting to pay off for me, too.”
But Carlos traded in his gloves and had been working for 15 years as a sanitation worker for a private company, his brother said.
He also loved playing basketball, his brother said.
“Now, with the weather starting to get warmer, he would always be outside playing basketball on his off days or whenever,” he said. “He worked at night, so [in the] daytime he played basketball, and he went to work at night.”
Jorge also described Carlos as an “introvert” who was “a great brother, great father, great friend, always someone you can count on.”
“He didn’t take advice very well but it’s a little late for that,” he added.
The motive for the fatal shooting was under investigation Wednesday.
But law enforcement sources said witnesses and 911 callers reported a group of people were gathered outside when shots rang out and Teron was hit.
Jorge said his brother may have been shot as an act of retaliation after he got into a fist fight in the same neighborhood last week.
“We’re not sure if [the shooter was] the same person he had the altercation with in that neck of the woods,” Jorge said. “I’m not sure why he was there at 11 at night. Nothing good happens at 11 at night.”
Jorge added that his brother may have been watching a dice game at the time, though he does not play dice himself.
Early Wednesday evening, two red candles were placed on the sidewalk where the shooting happened, with a cop car guarding the scene.
No arrests have been made in the murder.
Meanwhile, his family launched a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of his funeral and memorial services.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved brother, Carlos Teron, who left us unexpectedly last night,” Carlos’ loved ones wrote.
“Our family is heartbroken and still processing this immense loss. Carlos was a kind, caring, and genuine soul who touched so many lives with his warmth and presence.”
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