A grand jury has indicted a 39-year-old man from The Bronx accused of being the masked gunman in a white Tyvek suit who murdered an Upper East Side deli clerk during a robbery last month, prosecutors announced Thursday.
“Kimond Cyrus allegedly murdered Sueng Chul Choi in a brutal, chilling act of violence,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who secured a four-count indictment against the suspect on charges including murder in the first and second degrees.
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On the night of the heinous crime, Friday, March 3rd, prosecutors say Cyrus got dressed in his distinctive Tyvek suit in The Bronx, then rode his moped into Manhattan — where he would target Daona Deli, located at 201 East 81st Street, at the corner of Third Avenue, on the Upper East Side.
It was around 11:20 pm that night when the suspect stormed the deli, pulled out a gun and told a customer hand over his cash, prosecutors say — which the customer did.
The murder victim, 67-year-old Sueng Chul Choi — who went by Michael — did not comply with the suspect’s demands, according to new details released by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Cyrus pistol-whipped Choi, prosecutors say, then put his gun to the customer’s head in an attempt to get the clerk give up the money. When he didn’t, they say the suspect demanded Choi go to the back of the store and then followed him to the rear.
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The customer who had first been robbed at Daona Deli then ran from the scene and heard a single gunshot come from inside, prosecutors say — adding that a second eyewitness saw Cyrus leave the deli, get on his moped and ride away.
According to prosecutors, the Medical Examiner determined that Choi was shot in his left hand, which the bullet passed through and struck him in the head, killing him instantly.
“Bodegas are essential threads woven throughout our Manhattan communities,” said D.A. Bragg.
“We mourn the tragic loss of Mr. Choi and will continue to use every tool at our disposal to keep our hardworking bodega and deli workers safe.”
