Homicide ruling in Bronx
street-sign death

The death of a Bronx father killed by a street sign - which fell after it was a hit by a car driven by a man who had been shot in the head - has been ruled a homicide, police said yesterday.
Wellington Contreras, 43, died of blunt head trauma after the "No Standing" sign fell on him in Bedford Park on Thursday, the city medical examiner said.

Contreras, a father of four, was walking home when a thug sprayed a car with bullets and hit the driver, causing him to lose control.

Shawron Hughes, 21, rammed the pole at E. 194th St. and Briggs Ave., sending it hurtling onto Contreras, an emigrant from the Dominican Republic.

Hughes survived the gunshot, and cops were interviewing him and two other men in the car. They aresearching for the alleged gunman, who now faces murder charges.