Brooklyn

Police Search for Suspect Who Stabbed Brooklyn Bodega Owner in Neck

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A Brooklyn bodega owner was stabbed in the neck several times by a man who police say has been to the store a handful of times before.

Family members identify the owner of the corner store in Cypress Hills as Shadim Uddin, a man known as the kind of guy who would let people take a dollar off their items if they didn't have enough money. Police are looking for the suspect who attacked him Thursday afternoon.

A witness took a picture of Uddin following the bloody attack. It shows the store owner on the ground moments after the suspect stabbed him and left with money from the register. What exactly happened before the attack is still unclear.

"When I come down here I saw he was bleeding, like his right side neck. He was stabbed seven, eight times, he says," said Anwar Hossain, Uddin's brother-in-law.

Uddin’s brother, Shaheb Uddin, says the knife-wielding man had been to the store before and stole minor items. Uddin warned him not to do it again but the man returned Thursday. Police say the suspect was with a woman and they're searching for both of them.

A Brooklyn bodega owner was stabbed and robbed by a man that often came in the store to steal small items, according to police. NBC New York's Ida Siegal reports.

Meanwhile, locals in the neighborhood are distraught by what happened. They say Uddin, a father of three children, is warm and caring, so much so they trusted their own kids to go to the store by themselves.

"To know this is happening is really heartbreaking because I know these people my whole life. My whole life living here I know them and they’re awesome amazing people," said Jenice Salcedo.

Luckily, Uddin is expected to recover from his injuries, according to his family.

The suspect's sister visited the store Friday to check on the bodega's employees and condition of the owner. She says her 29-year-old brother is an Army veteran who suffers from PTSD and stopped taking medication.

"I wasn't every expecting to hear my brother stabbed the guy in the store," she said. "We grew up around here, this is our neighborhood. I'm trying to ask my brother, 'hey listen, I love you, your family loves you. We just want better for you, we want you to get some help. This is not the way.'"

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