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Cops Hunt Four Men in Connection With Beating Death in Queens

By  Fred Dreier and Alan Neuhauser | June 18, 2012 8:27am | Updated on June 18, 2012 2:52pm

NEW YORK — A 35-year-old man has died nearly a week after being beaten on a Jamaica Hills street corner, cops said.

Investigators released security video footage of four men they want to talk to in connection to the attack.

George Ayala, 35, died from his injuries Saturday morning at Jamaica Hospital, police said. He suffered severe head trauma in the beating on June 10 when the four suspects allegedly attacked him for a gold chain, sources said.

Ayala was assaulted in front of a homeless shelter at 161st Street and 89th Avenue where he was staying with his wife just before 11 a.m., cops and witnesses said.

"He was bleeding," said Letitia Quintero said through an interpreter. "He was moaning and in a lot of pain."

The 89th Avenue intersection where George Ayala, 35, was attacked and killed on June 10, 2012.
The 89th Avenue intersection where George Ayala, 35, was attacked and killed on June 10, 2012.
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DNAinfo/Fred Dreier

Cops found him lying on the sidewalk at 161st Street and 89th Avenue at 10:50 a.m.

The exact cause of his death remains under investigation. The medical examiner said an autopsy was performed on Sunday but further studies were necessary to determine how he died, a spokeswoman said.

Now cops are looking for the four suspects.

One of the men was described as having a medium build and short black hair. He is about 6-feet-tall and was last seen wearing a polo shirt with yellow and blue horizontal stripes, black pants and a black baseball hat with a yellow brim.

A second suspect was described as about 5-foot-9-inches tall with a thin build and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a black button-down collared shirt, which was left unbuttoned, black pants and a black baseball hat.

The third man was about 6-foot-2-inches and had a medium build. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, dark colored pants and a red baseball hat.

And the fourth suspect was described as about 5-foot-8-inches with a medium build. He was reportedly wearing a black T-shirt with white writing on the front, long green cargo shorts and a black baseball cap turned backward.

Anyone with information about the attack or the suspects' identities are asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477).