Bronx deli shooting leaves innocent bystander dead, police say
NEW YORK -- Police have released surveillance images of a suspect they're looking for in connection to a deadly shooting of an innocent bystander in a Bronx deli.
CBS New York spoke to the victim's heartbroken family by phone on Tuesday.
"Trying to process this whole thing," Martin Barnes said.
The father of 29-year-old Stefon Barnes said he is grappling with the senseless loss of his son.
"He loved his family. He loved to sing. He loved to dance. He liked to make friends. He was a happy guy," Martin Barnes said.
Martin Barnes said his son, who worked as a club promoter for extra income, had just wrapped up a party and went to get food. Police say at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday he was inside a deli on Tremont Avenue when a scuffle between two other men broke out behind him.
Authorities believe the man they are now looking for pulled out a gun and fired. A bullet hit Stefon Barnes in the right leg, though police say he was not the intended target.
He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
"There's a lot of guns out there and that's what really hurts," said the Rev. Oswald Denis of Rehoboth Christian Church.
Religious leaders prayed with the community at a memorial of flowers candles and cards, calling for the end to the violence.
"No need to pull out guns. No need to pull out knives. Let's talk it out," Denis said.
CBS New York spoke to regulars at the deli. One man said he left just a short while before the shots were fired.
"I was shocked I was there. I could've been the one," he said. "It could've been me. It could've been anybody. This Tremont place is getting worse and worse."
Martin Barnes said his son also touched many lives while working at a center helping young people with developmental disabilities, adding he had such a bright future ahead. The father is now planning his son's funeral.
According to NYPD stats, the 48th Precinct, where Stefon Barnes was killed, has had six shootings so far this year, compared to 12 at this time in 2023. There has been one shooting death, compared to seven at this time last year.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.