28-year-old Abdul Saleh was shot and killed in Lower Manhattan on Saturday night following a dispute at Sal’s Deli and Grocery in New York City.
According to CBS News, Saleh confronted a customer who refused to pay for his meal, sparking a fight that ended with the suspect shooting Saleh dead and accidentally wounding himself with a ricocheted bullet.
The shooter, known for frequently harassing and trying to fight staff and customers, is recovering in a local hospital.
In May 2025, Saleh had spoken with ABC 7 Eyewitness News, expressing fears for his safety as a bodega worker and complaining that police response times were too slow when employees were attacked or robbed.
This bodega owner told ABC a year ago that he fears for his safety in NY
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 27, 2026
Last night, he was kiIIed by a shoplifter pic.twitter.com/0GWyo3Enaz
ABC 7 shared dramatic video footage of Abdul Saleh’s brother Ahmed fighting off the gunman just seconds after the shooting. The community described the slain deli worker, a husband and father of two, as an incredibly generous man who would give the shirt off his back to help others, according to ABC 7.
Elon Musk, owner of 𝕏, reacted to the tragedy by blaming soft-on-crime policies pushed by Democrats. He wrote: “If extremely violent criminals are not imprisoned, eventually they will murder innocent people.”
Kavone Horton, a 28-year-old with alleged gang ties who was arrested by federal agents back in 2016, has been charged in the murder of deli worker Abdul Saleh.
