A 29-year-old father and DJ gunned down during an argument in the basement of a Bronx restaurant and lounge went to the night spot hoping to sell sunglasses so he could send the money back to his son in Venezuela, his sister told the Daily News.
Yeimi Gabriel Reyes, was shot in the head in the basement level of M Lounge Restaurant on Jerome Ave. near E. 184th St. in Fordham around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, cops said.
“He was my best friend. He was everything for me,” the victim’s sister, Maria Fernanda Sangrony Negron, 19, told The News. “I’m just sad. I don’t know what happened. I just want answers.”
Negron said that her older brother loaded his backpack full of sunglasses, said goodbye to his girlfriend, and headed to M Lounge around 3 a.m. Thursday morning.
When his girlfriend told him it was too late to go out, Reyes said, “I’m just gonna go quick, show them, and come back.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m coming back,” he said, Negron recalled.
Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News
Police investigate after Yeimi Gabriel Reyes was fatally shot in the basement of a Bronx lounge on Thursday. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
He was found dead less than two hours later outside the night spot by responding officers. It was not clear if he had stumbled out of the building after being shot or if his killers dumped him on the sidewalk, cops said.
Police said he was shot after arguing with two men, who fled the place and remained on the loose. Several other people were caught on surveillance cameras fleeing the area.
It was not immediately clear whether only one or both men fired at the victim, cops said.
One suspect wore all black and black sunglasses, while the other sported a green shirt with white lettering and black-and-white sneakers, cops said.
“We need a solution. We need those guys go to jail,” Negron said. “We need peace. We are tired. We need justice.”
A motive for the shooting was not immediately disclosed, Reyes, police said, doesn’t have a criminal history in New York City.
Born in Venezuela, Reyes moved to Mexico to study music, before coming to the United States. He previously worked as a DJ, earning a reputation in Cancun for playing Afro house and electronic music, his sister said.
“On Cancun, he was really viral,” Negron said. “When he came here, people said, ‘OK, that’s Yeimi. That’s a DJ.’”
He immigrated to the U.S. four years ago to better support his 8-year-old son and the boy’s mother.
“They live in Venezuela. My brother calls (them) every day and works here and sends money,” Reyes’ sister said. “He was a good father. Oh, my God, he loved his son.”
Courtesy of family
Yeimi Gabriel Reyes was fatally shot in the basement of a Bronx lounge on Thursday. (Courtesy of family)
Negron said she and her mother traveled to New York City from their home in Florida after Reyes’ girlfriend called to break the devastating news of his death
“He was an excellent father, son and brother,” said the victim’s mother, Ana Carolina Negron, 54. “I feel it really hard on my heart. But I’m proud of my son.”
“He helped the people. He opened the door for everybody,” she added. “Like, if you need something, he’s gonna be over there to help.”
Negron shared her agony over losing her brother on social media.
“I wish I could wake up from this nightmare and have someone tell me it isn’t real,” she wrote. “I can’t believe you’re no longer going to be here with me, and I keep asking myself so many questions. Why did you leave me all alone when it was always you and me against the world? I love you, brother. I love you, my king.”