Following a fatal stabbing at a bodega in New York City, those who knew the deceased shopkeeper are hailing his dedication and commitment to his Manhattan community.
According to the New York Post, 28-year-old Mohamed Nasser Awawdah was killed outside of Dyckman Kwik Stop, an Inwood business owned by his family, at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police indicate he was believed to have been attempting to disperse a group of men loitering in the area just moments before he was stabbed.as reported by WPIX. Though Awawdah was transported from the scene to an area hospital, it was too late and he was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
The following day, neighbors and local leaders say the bodega was closed and a group of mourners had gathered around a memorial to the deceased man, who was reportedly just months away from the birth of his first child.
“I’m heartbroken,” Alexis Stern, who has “known them for years,” said of the family’s loss.
Stern called the deceased and his survivors “wonderful” and “amazing” people.
Another local noted the tragic coincidence that this stabbing occurred nearly a year to the day after a 15-year-old was stabbed to death outside of a bodega in the Bronx.
“It is so sad to know that this community still has to be dealing with [these] crimes,” Ydanis Rodriguez said.
Police say there had been no arrests in the case as of the latest updates available. The Bodega Association is reportedly offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest as well as calling on increased police presence in affected neighborhoods.
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[Featured image: Mohamed Nasser Awawdah, handout]
