Mingo Mason, a 49-year-old Black man, was fatally shot inside La Paloma Candy Store and Grocery on Lexington Avenue in East Harlem on the evening of December 14, 2017. Surveillance footage shows Mason involved in a dispute with two individuals when a man, later identified as 45-year-old Anthony Pinkston of the Bronx, walked into the bodega and fired a single shot that struck Mason in the back of the head. Mason was taken to Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital but died of his injury.

Neighbors held a candlelight vigil outside the store; those who knew Mason described him as a good man and a wonderful father known for his generosity. The NYPD arrested Anthony Pinkston on December 21, 2017, and he was charged with murder and held without bail. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear; security footage was cited as key evidence in the case.

If anyone was in or near La Paloma on the night of December 14, 2017, or has additional information about the events leading up to the shooting, please share what is known.