Innocent bystander killed in NYC bodega when robber opens fire: cops

An innocent bystander was shot to death at a Bronx bodega by a gunman who was trying to rob someone else, police and sources said Tuesday.

Stefon Barnes, 29, was inside the Gourmet Deli on East Tremont Avenue near Marmion Avenue around 4:20 a.m. Easter morning when the robber brandished his gun and tried to assault another customer, police said. authorities said.

During the struggle, the gunman fired one round that struck Barnes in the right thigh, police said.

Barnes was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, authorities said.

Before the shooting, Barnes was simply looking at a rack of chips for sale inside the store when the botched robbery broke out just feet from where he was standing, according to video obtained by WABC.

Moments earlier, partygoers were dancing and singing inside the grocery store, including a woman wearing bunny ears, the video shows.

Antonio Sanchez, 64, told the Post that he was inside the store buying sodas and a juice just minutes before the shots rang out.

“(Barnes) was in the store but the fight wasn’t with him,” Sanchez said. “He was just in the wrong place and at the wrong time.”

Sanchez said Barnes was calm and collected as he greeted him with a “Wassup, how are you?”

“I only left the store 5 minutes before the shooting and I was right across the street,” Sanchez added. “I heard the gunshot, but I thought it was firecrackers, which are common around here.

“It’s a tragedy what happened,” he said.

On Tuesday, a makeshift memorial had been set up outside the grocery store — with bouquets of flowers in vases made from bottles of Espolón Blanco tequila, unopened bottles of Don Julio tequila, candles and messages written by the mourners on a flattened cardboard box taped to the window. .

“We will miss you forever. They took your beautiful soul too soon,” one message read.

“Sleep easy, Stephy,” another person wrote.

The NYPD released a photo Tuesday of the suspected shooter wearing a black jacket over a black hoodie, as well as black sweatpants and sneakers.

He is described as having a medium complexion, approximately 5ft 10 to 6ft tall with a medium build.