On the night of April 25, 2026, an argument inside Sal’s Deli & Grocery on Avenue B at East 13th Street escalated onto the sidewalk and left 28-year-old Abdul Saleh fatally shot in the torso around 11:30 p.m. Saleh, a Yemeni man who had returned that same day from a trip to visit family in Yemen, was taken to Bellevue Hospital and pronounced dead. He was a married father of two young children and a well-known, much-loved worker at the deli.

Police say the dispute began after a customer allegedly refused to pay for a meal. The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Kavone Horton, reportedly argued with Saleh inside the store and then shot him outside. Horton was also injured when a bullet reportedly ricocheted from his own gun; he was treated at Bellevue and later arrested on April 26, 2026, charged with murder, manslaughter, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Saleh’s cousin said employees had filed four prior police reports about Horton for menacing behavior.

A memorial of flowers and candles grew outside the deli as neighbors remembered Saleh as kind and generous. If anyone witnessed the argument that night or has information about what led to the shooting, please come forward.