Watch CBS News

Family, Friends Remember Slain Wine Shop Worker

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- A funeral was set for Monday for Yosef Robinson, a Brooklyn kosher wine shop worker shot dead during a robbery.

The service will be the final chapter of a remarkable life.

Robinson was a Jamaican immigrant who'd converted to Orthodox Judaism. He credited the religion with saving him from a life of crime.

His death came Thursday as he protected his girlfriend, Lahavah Wallace, during a robbery at the store where they worked. A gunman entered the wine store, demanding that Wallace turn over her jewelry.

"He pulled it back, and then he pointed it back at me, and Yoseph grabbed his arm again," Wallace said.

Robinson, a man who was a minority within a minority, was shot multiple times in the chest and arm.

"Everybody loved him," Rabbi Glieberman said. "You go around, people from all over the neighborhood, there were only good words to be said about him."

"I want him caught. Everybody wants him caught," Wallace said.

Police said they were looking for a light-skinned man between 5-foot-6 and 5-8 and approximately 160 pounds. The suspect was last seen wearing a tan hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and a tan mask.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and a $12,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction has been offered.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.