QUEENS, NY — A Queens deli worker died after he was shot by a homeless gunman during an argument—in the end he was tackled and held down by an off-duty cop before being arrested.
The suspect, Steven Cohen, 63, was asked to leave the store located at 137-02 Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park because he was “acting erratically” before the situation turned deadly.
“He’s inside, he hears a gunshot,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said. “And when he when he appears to be like, he sees the person with the gun and makes a tactical determination — [he] tackles the person, will get the gun [and] holds him for the responding law enforcement officials.”
“And as I mentioned, tragically, the person who was shot, his life couldn’t be saved, however you already know, [I’m] awfully happy with the work of the police officer, [his] heroic actions.”
Off-duty but always vigilant.
Tonight, off-duty Police Officer Maharaj from the @NYPD77Pct was in a deli in Queens when a suspect started shooting at a customer. The officer quickly sprang into action, tackled the suspect, disarmed him & held him until uniform officers arrived. pic.twitter.com/GRMxZpmbZT
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 27, 2020
"Nothing Short of Heroic."
Off-Duty NYPD Officer Tackles Gunman Who Fatally Shot Queens Deli Worker During Argument pic.twitter.com/aEBu6vGDs5
— GrantB911 (@GrantB911) October 27, 2020
