Reynaldo Cuevas, a 20-year-old Bronx bodega worker, was shot and killed by New York City cops as he escaped an armed robbery that was going down in the store he worked in. Cuevas and his uncle were closing Natalie Grocery store at around 2 a.m. when armed robbers entered the premises, according to witnesses and police sources. Those inside were held hostage, but some managed to escape. Cuevas, who was not armed, fled the scene just as law enforcement was arriving and was shot dead after being mistaken for one of the perpetrators.
Jesse Rodriguez, a neighborhood resident, commented on what he saw. "The first guy ran out with his hands on his head. The second guy (Reynaldo Cuevas) ran out and tripped by the fire hydrant and the cops shot him. People were screaming, 'He works there! He's an employee! He was innocent."
The officer who fired the shot believed Cuevas was chasing the first victim who escaped from the store, according to police sources. The circumstances of the shooting are currently under investigation.
Reynaldo Cuevas was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital from a single gunshot wound to the torso.
Source: huffingtonpost.com
