A gunman lurked outside a Harlem bodega to settle a score with another man, then fatally shot him in the back of the head Wednesday night, police sources and a witness said.
The 22-year-old victim got into an argument with his killer outside the Adnader Inc. Grocery on St. Nicholas Avenue by West 121st St just before 8 p.m. Wednesday, sources said.
The shooter left, only to return later with a gun, sources said.
“He was looking in the window, waiting for him,” said Helel El Geler, 25, of Brooklyn, who works in the bodega.
The victim, who was accompanied by a woman, bought orange juice, Gatorade, and fruit snacks, El Geler said.
He and the woman walked out, and the shooter confronted him. The two men exchanged words, and the shooter pounced.
“He (the victim) tried to stop him, like anyone else would. They struggled,” El Geler said.
The victim tried, in vain, to grab the gun, but his assailant fired off a single shot, El Geler said.
“He shot him in the back of his head, by his neck,” he said.
The shooter then ran north, he said. A security camera caught the bloody scene, including the shooter’s face.
Medics rushed the man to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he died, sources said.
The shooter remains at large, and police have not yet identified the victim.
El Geler said the victim shopped at the store a few times over the past week, but he didn’t know the man.
“It was a shock. He was too young,” El Geler said. “I’m still shaking. I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Via source
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