Mayor-Elect Adams Vows To Make New York City 'A Safe City' Following Shooting Death Of Brooklyn Bodega Worker
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor-elect Eric Adams and the next NYPD commissioner, Keechant Sewell, went to the scene of a deadly shooting in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Police said a worker in a bodega was killed Tuesday night during an attempted robbery, CBS2's Christina Fan reported.
The victim's family was still deep in grief, but told CBS2 the victim was a good boy, just 20 years old, and that the man who shot him was a customer he knew.
Adams and Sewell paid their respects at the site where yet another bodega worker lost his life, offering a promise to the community once he takes office.
"I am going to make my city safe. We will be a safe city," Adams said.
The latest incident happened at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday inside Flatbush Deli Corp. Police said a man walked in with a gun and attempted to rob the store. In the ensuing struggle, Fadel Mosa, who worked as a clerk, was shot in the head.
"That's my best friend. I literally broke down because I come to the store every morning. And he was a good person. We joke and laugh every morning," Flatbush resident Darlene Godfrey said.
"This is sad. It just makes no sense. Out of all the stuff going on in the world, this is what they doing?" neighbor Crystal Johnson said.
Close friends told CBS2 that Mosa was about to get married and that his father had recently flown to Yemen to prepare for the wedding. The victim's uncle spoke Wednesday through a translator.
"What he and the family want is justice for the loss of their beloved son, Fadel," Rageh Almaklani said.
The Yemeni American Merchants Association, which the bodega is part of, said it is gravely concerned over the recent string of attacks on bodegas throughout the city. On Wednesday, it reiterated its concerns to the city's new leadership.
"When you hurt one store owner or worker you aren't just hurting one person. Each store is responsible for 20 family back home in the warn-torn Yemen," the association's Zaid Nagi said. "How many press conferences are we going to have before everyone or anyone do something about this? Our community is hurting."
The mayor-elect and incoming commissioner declined to address this specific shooting, but laid out their plans to attack the over-proliferation of guns.
"Guns come in to our city in pieces, and so state lawmakers must catch up to what's happening on the ground. Federal lawyers must catch up to what's happening on the ground," Adams said.
So far, there have been no arrests in the deli shooting. The Yemeni American Merchants Association is now offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.
Wednesday night, police released video and pictures of the suspect wanted in connection to the shooting. Police say he was seen running southbound on Flatbush Avenue shortly after the incident.
Investigators say he was also spotted inside the bodega before the shooting.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
