Suspect Arrested in Deadly Manhattan Bodega Shooting of Father as Daughter Looked On

The suspect who allegedly shot a father to death inside a Manhattan bodega as his daughter looked on has been arrested, according to police.

Joseph Morros, 27, was charged with murder and weapon possession in the Dec. 15 shooting at the 144 Deli Grocery on Nagle Avenue in Inwood, police said. The victim, Tykeem Berry, was inside the deli just after 4 p.m. getting snacks for his daughter when the deadly incident occurred.

Surveillance video showed a man, Morros, in a green North Face jacket by the front door of the shop yelling and reaching for something with his right hand. Moments later, the footage showed that he had been shouting at the 30-year-old Berry, seen in a red puffy jacket as he placed his headphones on the counter.

The 30-year-old father took a bullet to the chest as his daughter looked on during the fight inside an Inwood bodega. NBC New York’s Melissa Colorado reports.

The employees behind the cash register appeared to tell Berry to stay inside the store, when suddenly Morros burst back into the bodega and pulled out a gun. Berry wrestled with him, video showed, before police said he was shot in the chest at point-blank range.

Another surveillance camera captured the shooter sprinting away, crossing the street as he fled the scene. The bodega owner says people crowded around the victim during his final moments.

“He call [for] help, he put the hand, so everybody grab and come to help,” said owner Ahmad El-Myndcer.

Someone administered aid before police arrived as a witness said Berry slipped in and out of consciousness. He was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital, police said.

What the cameras didn’t capture were the bodega employees and customers just a few feet away shielding the victim’s daughter, who was inside the shop at the time of the bloodshed. El-Myndcer said the girl is about 8-10 years old.

“I don’t want the children to see their father. He got killed, it’s going to affect them in the future, she will have issue, problem,” said El-Myndcer. “We keep her inside, we give her soda, we give her whatever she want.”

The owner of the bodega told NBC New York that the victim was a loyal customer of 15 years. He would stop at the store every morning to order a sandwich for his daughter before dropping her off at school.

Police interviewed witnesses, of which there were many, as there were people inside and outside the bodega. What sparked the argument between the two men was not immediately clear.