BEDFORD PARK — A bodega worker was fatally shot by an ex-con who grabbed an NYPD officer's gun from its holster and got into a shootout with police in a Bronx deli Tuesday morning, officials said.
Efrain Guzman, 30, got into a fight with a 49-year-old Malian immigrant — who family and friends identified as Wali Camara, a father working to support family overseas — inside a deli at the intersection of Valentine Avenue and East 198th Street, police said.
Guzman, who was convicted of attempted robbery in 2004, then walked across the street to A & M Deli at 230 E. 198th St. about 1 a.m. and fought with some of the clerks there, according to NYPD Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen.
As two uniformed officers, who'd been flagged down by a civilian, walked Guzman out of the store, he grabbed one of their guns from its holster, said Nikunen, the Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Bronx.
The officers tried to wrestle the weapon from Guzman's hands, but they couldn't, said Nikunen, who cited video of the entire incident.
That's when one officer fired three shots at Guzman, hitting him twice, police said.
Guzman then fired "numerous shots," hitting Camara, who had followed him across the street after the initial fight, police said. It wasn't immediately clear how many shots he fired, but witnesses heard as many as 16.
"I heard the gunshots. I counted them. There were 16 in total. There were a bunch at first, about seven, then a short pause, then nine more. It lasted just minutes," said Sheila Baez, 72, who lives above the scene.
"One guy was cursing. I was just thinking about the guys in the store, hoping they didn't get hurt," Baez said.
Camara was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital, police said.
His family described the bodega worker as a humble and generous man, who was working to support a son in medical school in Paris and mother back in Africa.
"This guy would give his last 50 cents to anyone. He was always there for everyone," said Mody Doucoure, whose sister used to be married to Camara. "He was a very good family man."
Camara's sister, Fatoumata Doucoura, said he emigrated to the country more than 20 years ago.
"He loved this country. He said he's coming and not going back," said Doucoura, 39. "He was sending money to Paris and to Africa."
Camara, who loved African music, remained dedicated to his family back in Mali and and frequently gave food — bread, butter rolls or coffee — to those who needed it, friends said.
"The guy was a hard worker. He'd work 16 hours a day to support them. He was sending money back home. He was a great guy," Jimmy Gilberto, 56.
Co-workers remembered Camara as a familiar and friendly face in the neighborhood.
"He was a really good guy. He was a very hard worker. He knew everyone who came into the store. I've known him seven years. He worked as a stock boy," said Dave Hajneh, 28, who worked with the victim for six years.
"It's not fair. It could've happened to anyone," Hajneh added.
Many were heartbroken by Camara's sudden death.
"Everybody loved him. He just lost his life somewhere that's not supposed to be," said Francis Ade, 33.
Once the volley of gunfire ended, witnesses heard Guzman screaming various things as police handcuffed him.
"He was bleeding. He was mumbling, jumbling, screaming, 'I'm not Arab! Take me away! I don't care! Take me away!' They had him surrounded and were yelling, 'Shut up, don't say nothing,'" said Thomas Baumann, 54.
"They had to rip his clothes off without taking the cuffs off. He was just in his underwear after that and was bleeding from his backside," Baumann said.
Guzman was listed in stable condition at the same hospital, police said.
He had yet to be charged later Tuesday morning, an NYPD spokesman added.
Guzman has been arrested eight times, most recently in January 2016.
He was also convicted of robbery in 2004 and spent the next two years behind bars until he was released to parole in 2006, prison records show.
He returned to prison in April 2011 and was released that December, according to the Department of Corrections.
Locals knew Guzman from the neighborhood and said he'd frequently harass people.
"He gets angry when people ignore him. Sometimes he curses at you. Nobody likes him," said Tony Santiago, 39.
It wasn't uncommon to see Guzman get kicked out of bodegas for harassing people, others said.
"How would you feel coming out of the train at midnight every night and getting harassed by him for money? It's annoying. I've seen them try to kick him out before," said Junion Fernandez, 21, who lives nearby.
