Police continue to search for the killer who shot a Brooklyn deli worker dead during an apparent robbery attempt Tuesday evening.
Fadhl Moosa, 20, of Lenox Road in Crown Heights was gunned down during an apparent struggle with the would-be thief inside the Flatbush Deli at 803 Flatbush Ave. at about 7:34 p.m. on Dec. 14.
According to law enforcement sources, the robber walked into the location and displayed a black firearm before walking behind the counter, confronting Moosa and demanding cash.
The victim refused the robber’s demand, cops said, leading to a physical struggle that ended seconds later when the crook pulled the trigger, striking Moosa in the head.
After shooting the young man, the suspect fled out of the store in an unknown direction, authorities noted.
Officers from the 70th Precinct responded to the scene moments later. They found Moosa lying unconscious and face down behind the counter, in a pool of his own blood, a source familiar with the investigation said.
EMS units pronounced Moosa dead at the scene.
Police described the murder suspect as a man believed to be about 22 years of age, standing about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black mask and dark-colored clothing.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams visited the scene Wednesday morning with his newly selected Police Commissioner, Keechant Sewell, and placed the blame for Moosa’s death on the “over-proliferation of guns” in the city.
Adams also said that he would change the city’s response to violent incidents by frequently appearing on scene, as he did on Wednesday, and talking to victims and community members personally, to project strength and send a message that crime wouldn’t be tolerated.
“I think it’s crucial to come out here to this community,” Adams, a former NYPD captain and current Brooklyn borough president, said at the scene. “This is horrific, it’s terrorizing, and it’s traumatic. And if the commissioner and the mayor…don’t come here and say to the people that we’re here with you, it sends the wrong message. We must not only be substantive, we must be symbolic.”
Naji Almontaser, of the Yemeni-American Merchants Association (YAMA), told reporters at the scene that his heart breaks every time he gets a phone call, because it’s often about a similar incident. He mentioned one friend of his whose three bodegas were burglarized eight times in ten days.
“It’s a very difficult time,” Almonstaser said. “Something’s gotta give. I don’t know what it is, but something’s gotta give, where we have to start feeling human again. We have to have more compassion, less hate.”
Anyone with information regarding the shooting or the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Additionally, Almonstaser said YAMA is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the apprehension of the suspect.
