In cold blood
HIS MOVE to the United States “for a better life” ended with a fatal bullet to the back of his head.
Mamadou Diallo, a deli clerk in Queens, was shot to death during a robbery at the store early Saturday. Police said two men surprised the 46-year-old Diallo inside the Sunshine Deli on Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica around 5:30 a.m.
Surveillance video recovered from inside the store shows an armed man in a red hoodie entering the store from the basement door, according to police sources. The man ducks down to hide from Diallo, then grabs the deli worker by the back of his shirt and forces him to the ground.
As the gunman held the weapon to Diallo’s head, a second suspect, this one in a black hoodie, comes up from the basement and empties out the cash register. It was not known how much money was taken.
After executing Diallo, the two men pour a liquid — believed to be bleach — on the cash register and counter in an attempt to erase evidence, police sources said. The perps ran out the back door, which was open when cops arrived, officials said.
Diallo, a native of Guinea, died at the scene.
The victim’s heartbroken brother Hamidou Diallo, 30, was inconsolable outside the deli Saturday morning.
“He was a good man, that’s all,” the brother said after he crouched behind a car and wept for several minutes. “He was a good person. All the neighborhood people said the same thing about him.
“We hope they can catch the people who did this,” he said. Diallo was found sprawled behind the counter as a customer came up to the store’s service window about 6 a.m. Cops did not disclose how the thieves got into the basement, although Diallo may have left the metal shutters — that can be accessed from the sidewalk — unlocked after mopping the store. Neighbors said he mopped the store every morning at 5. Diallo’s mop bucket was found outside the store after the killing. Diallo’s killers remained on the loose Saturday. Neighbors spoke glowingly of Diallo, describing him as a “calm, genuinely nice person.”
“I talked to him like I talked to my pops,” said Erik Rodriguez, 24. “We talked about everything — girls, work, school. If you have a heart, you’re gonna feel this.”
Diallo lived near the store. John Baptiste, 66, was his landlord.
“He prayed, went to work and came home to sleep,” Baptiste said.
Diallo lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years and always worked the overnight shift, his brother said.
“(He) worked hard,” the shell-shocked sibling said. “He came to the U.S. for a better life.”
Residents said the Sunshine Deli is open 24 hours a day but the doors are locked after midnight and customers purchase items through the service window.
“He didn’t bother anybody,” said neighbor Deborah Spivey, 57. “If there was some situation, he would have handed over the money. He does not deserve that.” Jenowade Lewis, 38, agreed. “You could tell he really cared about people,” he said. “He treated customers like family.”