Harlem fish market employees fear returning to work after man accused of stealing shrimp dies: Manhattan District Attorney

Workers are afraid to return to work at a fish market in Harlem, where one of their colleagues stabbed to death a man accused by shop workers of stealing shrimp, a Manhattan prosecutor said Friday.

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday — the morning after 25-year-old Malik Burrell died, allegedly after he was stabbed to death by an employee at an express fish market in St. Nicholas Square near 155th Street — “numerous” people yelled at employees and kicked the entrance to the store. when it was about to open, said Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mireille Dee.

“The employees were scared, called 911, and only after the police arrived and pushed everyone back were the workers able to leave the store safely,” Dee said. “Since then, employees have been too scared to return to the store.”

Dee testified in Manhattan Criminal Court against 29-year-old Bobby Burrell, who heard the charges against him from his hospital bed. He faces criminal charges for second and third degree burglary.

The suspect’s brother, 24-year-old Malik Burrell, died Tuesday night after being attacked by store worker Junior Aquino Hernandez.

Hernandez, 34, was initially charged by police with murder, assault and possession of a weapon, but the district attorney’s office reduced the charges to assault. The incident is still under investigation.

The drama was sparked by a fight between another worker and Bobby Burrell, who ordered shrimp and then tried to leave without paying, police said.

Bobby Burrell left the store and returned four minutes later with his brother Malik, who would have turned 25 on Wednesday.

There, the brothers went behind the counter of the store and ran into the worker Bobby had gotten into a fight with a few minutes earlier, prosecutors say. According to prosecutors, Malik repeatedly punched the store worker in the face. An unidentified store employee has been hospitalized.

According to prosecutors, the incident ended with Hernandez grabbing a knife and stabbing Malik Burro twice in the torso.

Hernandez is under surveillance.