"A bodega worker in New York is charged with murder for defending himself from attack.
- "...Press reports say the July 1 dispute began when a woman’s payment card was declined as she tried to buy a bag of chips. Video shows her shouting at bodega worker Jose Alba that her boyfriend “is gonna come down here right now and f— you up.” The boyfriend, 35-year-old Austin Simon, entered the bodega, and security-camera footage shows him confronting Mr. Alba and shoving and grabbing him.
- Mr. Alba then allegedly stabbed and killed Simon. Mr. Alba’s son told the New York Post that “at that moment he was in fear for his life.” The Post describes Simon as a “career criminal on parole for assaulting a police officer.” Mr. Alba waited at the bodega for police to arrive.
Mr. Bragg’s office charged him with second-degree murder and initially requested $250,000 bail...which typically carries a prison sentence of 15 to 25 years in New York, looks like the prosecutor’s draconian attempt to set an example to others who might try to defend themselves as crime rises in the city.
In 2021 homicides in New York rose 53% and felony assaults rose 10% compared with 2019, according to police data. Bodegas are prime targets.
...Mr. Alba’s saga is what happens when lawlessness becomes pervasive, criminals expect impunity, and innocents believe police won’t arrive in time to help.
...Mr. Alba’s saga is what happens when lawlessness becomes pervasive, criminals expect impunity, and innocents believe police won’t arrive in time to help.
People start to defend themselves any way they can, as they have a right to do, often with tragic results..."