An 80-year-old shop owner, Abdulla Yafaee, was killed inside his East New York bodega on the evening of Tuesday, December 12, 2017. The business at 797 Stanley Avenue was the scene after an argument earlier in the day over fifty cents for a two-dollar beer escalated when a customer reportedly threatened to return and cause harm. At about 6:30 p.m. that evening the man returned and opened fire, striking Yafaee in the chest. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital and pronounced dead. Yafaee was of Yemeni descent and is survived by family in New York and Yemen.

Police identified and arrested 41-year-old Mark Thomas a few days later; he was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon and was reported to have prior arrests. The deli’s owners and neighbors noted this was not the first fatal incident at that location in recent years. Does anyone with knowledge of the deli, the neighborhood, or the people involved have further information to share?