A Brooklyn fast food worker fatally shot in the head by a robber police say went on to kill a Bronx bodega customer 48 hours later was the sole provider for his large family back home in Bangladesh, the victim’s boss told the Daily News.
MD Yousuf, 44, was working at American Best Wings & Pizza on Rockaway Ave. near Newport St. in Brownsville when he was slain just after midnight Sunday, police said. A 39-year-old co-worker was shot in the right leg but survived.
“This is very sad,” said the restaurant’s co-owner, who gave his name only as Rasel. “(Yousof) wasn’t just an employee. Before employee, he was one of our closest friends.”
“MD Yousuf doesn’t come from a well-established family. He came from a very poor family, to be honest,” he added. “He is the only one in the entire family who provides for them. That’s a very tragic loss for them.”
Yousuf sent his wages back to support relatives including his daughters, aged 3 and 12, and his wife, mother and father.
“Honestly, I don’t know how they will survive afterwards since their only provider is no more,” Rasel said. “For his wife, without having a provider, I can’t even think of it.”
Rasel last spoke to Yousuf just hours before he was killed.
“I called him because one of our delivery guy didn’t show up,” Rael said. “(Yousuf) said, ‘Don’t worry. We can take care of it … Having an employee like him is a blessing. He always took responsibilities, always tried to help us.”
Rasel was not at the restaurant at the time of the incident but reviewed security footage of the shooting.
The restaurant was closed and did not have any customers in it at the time. Rasel believes the killer entered through an employees-only door accidentally left unlocked.
The gunman didn’t speak and opened fire almost immediately, shooting the surviving victim first, Rasel said.
“When (the survivor) saw the guy pull the gun, he actually jumped,” Rasel said. “Because he jumped, the bullet actually hit his leg. If he didn’t jump, the bullet might have hit him in the chest. He might have gone too.”
Yousuf was standing by the register with nowhere to run.
“He was stuck there,” Rasel said. “The guy just shot him in the head.”
Police believe the killer was attempting to rob the place but Rasel said no money was missing from the register.
The surviving victim lost consciousness after being shot, said Rasel, who visited him at Brookdale University Hospital.
“He’s in so much pain,” Rasel said. “He’s not in good condition.”
“The doctor says they cannot remove the bullet from his leg because they said to remove the bullet, they assume it will cause internal bleeding which can lead to death. Or he might lose his leg or get a disability,” Rasel said. “They’re trying to figure out what to do.”
Police released surveillance footage of 31-year-old suspect Jesus Acosta on Tuesday and asked the public’s help finding him.
“We don’t have a subway nearby so it’s like there are no new unknown customers,” Rasel said. “The guy who actually shot them, we’ve never seen him. Never.”
Two days after allegedly killing Yousof, cops say Acosta shot a 33-year-old customer in the chest at 149 Grill & Deli on E. 149th St. near Walton Ave. in Mott Haven. He then grabbed cash from the register and fled about 12:15 a.m. Tuesday.
The customer died later in the day at Lincoln Hospital, cops said.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been launched to transport Yousuf’s body back to Bangladesh and help support his family there.
“To lose him is a huge loss,” Rasel said. “I can’t even get out from the trauma.”