Cops rule death a homicide following elderly man’s death nearly 50 years after he was shot

An elderly man died more than 47 years after he was shot in East Harlem – and now his death has been ruled a homicide, authorities said this week.

Paul Dawkins was blasted in the chest on East 103rd Street near Second Avenue around 6:40 a.m. on Jan. 15, 1976, cops said.

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Dawkins, who lived a few blocks from the scene, succumbed to his injuries on April 22, 2023, police said. He was 79.

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The city medical examiner’s office deemed Dawkins’ death a homicide, authorities announced Tuesday night.

The NYPD could not confirm the circumstances of the decades-old shooting Wednesday, nor how Dawkins’ death was linked to the gunshot.

No arrests have been made, and no suspect information is available.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

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