A man was fatally stabbed during an altercation with a clerk at bodega in New York City last week, authorities say.
The shocking incident unfolded at around 11 p.m. on Friday night in Manhattan.
A woman and child reportedly went into Blue Moon Convenient Store and tried to buy a bag of potato chips but her benefits card was declined.
“The lady threw everything from the counter, and the machine, too,” explained store owner Maad Ahmad.
“She said, ‘I’m going to get my man, and he’s going to get you.’”
The woman left the store in a huff and summoned boyfriend Austin Simon, who stormed behind the counter and confronted the clerk, who was identified as 51-year-old Jose Alba.
Simon, 34, was “known to haunt the store,” the New York Daily News reports.
Surveillance footage shows Simon throwing Alba against a shelf and then grabbing him by the neck before Alba begins fighting back.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
During the tussle, Alba appears to grab an object from a shelf and stab Simon before they fall out of view.
Moments later, Alba steps back into the shot apparently holding a large blade covered in blood.
Incredibly, Alba was arrested and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
“Alba was being held on Rikers Island on $250,000 bail Tuesday and is due back in Manhattan court on Thursday,” the New York Post reports.
Ahmad expressed shock at the outcome and defended his employee.
“He grabbed Jose by the neck and tried to get him to apologize to the girl,” Ahmad said.
“He pushed Jose first. Jose was just defending himself.”
As we celebrate our independence this year we must remember that the 1973 film Soylent Green took place in 2022.
