Bodega customer hit with murder charge in killing of store clerk over cigar as victim’s mom calls for ‘life’ in prison
A man with unexplained gunshot wounds on his hands was busted in the murder of a Brooklyn bodega worker he allegedly gunned down for refusing to fork over a free cigar, cops and sources
Daquan David, 29, was slapped with murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges after the NYPD’s Warrant Squad tracked him down in Brooklyn Wednesday morning, according to the NYPD and police sources.
Sources said he had gunshot wounds on his hands when he was taken into custody and has been uncooperative with detectives.
It’s not clear how he received the wounds but they were not from police, the sources said, adding he was sent to an area hospital after his arrest.
David allegedly gunned down Nazim Berry on Feb. 26 outside Amin Deli in Crown Heights following an argument that stemmed over a $2 Black and Mild cigar, the victim’s mom, Danette Hollie, told The Post.
David — who demanded the cigar without paying — allegedly returned to the bodega with a gun and fought Berry outside before blasting him in the head, authorities said.
“They said that they tussled…and the guy pointed the gun right to the side of his head, the back of his head, he shot him,” a grief-stricken Hollie said near the crime scene.
Berry was rushed to Kings County Hospital Center but he could not be saved, authorities said.
The bodega clerk was remembered as a beloved worker who “didn’t use to bother anyone” while stocking shelves and cleaning up outside the store, customers told The Post.
His shooting came days before two others were shot dead in Crown Heights during separate attacks.
Berry’s accused killer was previously arrested in July 2013 for criminal possession of a weapon, police sources said.
Meanwhile, the United Bodegas of America — who offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case — said David should be sentenced to life in prison.
Hollie echoed those statements Wednesday night.
“I want them to throw away the key,” Hollie told The Post.
“I don’t want him to have no bail.
“Let me tell you, he had the opportunity to change his mind when he left the bodega to get the gun and come back,” the grieving mom said.
“He had enough time to think about his life and Nazim’s life and what he was about to cause, and he still decided to make that choice. So he needs to pay with his life.”
