Derick Rodriguez has spoken out about the murder of his twin brother, Darell Rodriguez, on a Midtown Manhattan subway platform.
Derick, who lives in Waco, Texas, said that the loss has left “a black hole” in his heart. The 26-year-old brothers grew up in University Heights in The Bronx before Derick left to join the Army in 2021. Darell had stayed in New York and was working as a security guard in Manhattan on Saturday, the day he was killed.
“It is grief, but it is something deeper because this is your half,” Derick said in the interview, describing the unique pain of losing his twin. The brothers also have a third sibling, Gabriel, and a family photo shows Darell beaming in a white T-shirt and Yankees cap alongside his brothers.
Darell was shot in the chest around Saturday afternoon at the 53rd Street/7th Avenue station. Police said he and the shooter had a dispute on the platform, though specific details about what sparked the confrontation remained unclear. The assailant, who wore a mask, fled the scene and had not been apprehended as of the family’s statements to the Times.
Derick’s suspicion that something had gone wrong began with a text message. He sent a message to his twin on Sunday morning, and it did not seem to go through. “In my mind, I was like, something’s coming, but I don’t know when,” he recalled. After hours passed without a reply, he started calling police precincts. His father had told him that Darell had not come home the night before.
The confirmation came through a phone call with his mother. An NYPD detective who was with her took the phone to deliver the news that Darell had died in an altercation on the subway.
The NYPD has released surveillance images of the suspected killer, showing a man in a red hoodie and black face mask. The investigation remains active as authorities continue searching for the gunman.
Darell’s killing came during a violent weekend in New York City public spaces. On the same Saturday, 18-year-old Tysha Jones was fatally shot on the Brighton Beach boardwalk in Brooklyn while spending the day with friends. Police said Jones, who had recently graduated from high school and was preparing to start college, was struck by a bullet during an altercation she was not involved in. Her family told the Daily News she was “killed for enjoying a day at the beach.”
Derick Rodriguez continues to process the sudden absence of the brother who shared his birth date, his childhood in The Bronx, and his family history. “It’s like a black hole in your heart,” he repeated, framing a loss that defies ordinary description.
The NYPD has asked anyone with information about the subway shooting to come forward as the manhunt continues.