A bodega worker on Brewer Boulevard in Jamaica was fatally shot on Friday night. Police say that the gunman tried to rob the Melani Grocery but ended up shooting employee Jorge Marte when the 65-year-old tried to run to the front door.
The suspect had demanded cash when he burst into the store at 10 p.m. A customer then ran to the back of the store during the attempted robbery, and a source told City Room that the would-be robber chased him, "That’s when the shop-keep feels he has an opening to exit the store; and [Marte] then tries to run out the front. The perpetrator notices he’s leaving," and fired at Marte.
Residents were distraught, telling the Daily News, "Jorge has been here my whole life. I can't believe he is gone. This is just devastating," and "Jorge looked out for everyone in the neighborhood. He didn't deserve this." Marte, who came to New York from the Dominican Republican 35 years ago, was described as a "a great person and a hard worker," by a manager and "the best father anybody could ever have" by a daughter.
Fifteen years ago, a co-owner of the store, when it was called J and C Grocery, was killed there.
