According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), a man broke into Daona Gourmet Deli on East 81st Street at 11:28 p.m. on the 3rd and shot a 67-year-old male employee before fleeing the scene.
The victim was confirmed to be a South Korean named Seungchul Choi (English name Michael, 67) living in Woodside, Queens. Choi is believed to be a U.S. citizen born in Korea.
According to police officials, at the time of the incident, the suspect entered the store, asked a customer in the shop to lie down on the ground to take their money, and then hit Choi on the head with a pistol handle.
Fortunately, the customer was able to escape the scene, but gunshots were fired right after, and when the police arrived at the scene, Choi was dead with a bullet wound to his left hand and head, and the suspect had already fled.
Police said the same man also robbed the Bronx’s YAYA Deli at 11:45 p.m. The owner said he robbed $1,000, lighters and batteries that were behind the counter before he fled. Police described the suspect as 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds.
According to the released CCTV footage, the suspect was wearing a black top and bottom, a black mask, and a white hazmat suit.
As of the 6th, police are still tracking down the suspect and receiving a report through an open search. NYPD Eyewitness Call (800-577-8477).
Park Kwang-min, chairman of the New York Korean Food Association, said, “It is very unfortunate that such an accident occurred in a South Korean-owned deli. The number of robberies and thefts targeting delis has increased after the pandemic.”
