NYPD: Man struck in head with wooden board, killed after dispute outside Queens gas station
NEW YORK -- Police are searching for suspects in the death of a Queens man who was killed on his way home from work after getting caught up in a fight outside a gas station in Corona.
According to police, evidence says it may be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, CBS2's John Dias reported Monday.
When 23-year-old Esvin Vasquez pulled into the BP station on Junction Boulevard, two groups of strangers got into an argument and he somehow got caught in the middle of it.
Vasquez's family told CBS2 he came to America for hope and worked at a furniture store with his brother to provide for his wife, Sofia, and their 1-year-old son, Sammy, in Guatemala.
But that hope turned to heartbreak Sunday morning at around 2 a.m., when police said Vasquez was killed when the fight started.
Emdee Shaika, who works at the gas station, said he called police.
"Two groups were there, around 10, 12 people," Shaika told CBS2's Kevin Rincon.
According to Sheikh, one of the men grabbed a long wooded board and smashed it over Vasquez's head. Cops said the board came from a nearby construction site.
"I saw one guy hit him maybe two times. Also then over also there one time maybe," said Shaika.
Vasquez was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive. It was not immediately clear how the fight started.
Vasquez's family said he lived in New York City for about a year and a half. He lived around the corner from the gas station, they said.
Vasquez does not have a criminal background, according to police. Investigators did not say how many people they are looking for in connection to his death.
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.