In the borough of Queens, a 26-year-old man of Indian descent named Mohmediyan Tarwala was working as a clerk at the Craft Beer Lotto Cigar Shop on Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park on the evening of October 26, 2020. His life was cut short in a sudden and violent encounter. A 63-year-old homeless man, Steven Cohen, who was known to the store's employees as a chronic shoplifter, entered the establishment.
Recognizing Cohen, Tarwala moved to escort him from the premises, a routine action
that tragically escalated. In response, Cohen allegedly brandished a handgun and shot Tarwala in the stomach. As his co-worker watched in horror, Cohen reportedly fired two more shots, one of which struck the plexiglass divider that had been installed as a safety measure against the spread of the coronavirus.
By a stroke of fortune, an off-duty NYPD officer, Jason Maharaj, was present in the store at the time of the shooting. He immediately intervened, tackling and disarming Cohen, holding him until uniformed officers from the 106th Precinct arrived. Emergency medical services were called to the scene, and Tarwala was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Following the incident, Steven Cohen was taken into police custody and subsequently charged with murder, attempted murder, and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm. The quick thinking and brave actions of Officer Maharaj were praised by the NYPD for preventing further bloodshed. The tragic event highlighted a rise in crime at bodegas across the city, prompting calls for increased safety measures for store employees. Tarwala was remembered by his colleagues as an only child who sent the majority of his earnings to support his parents in India. Due to pandemic-related restrictions at the time, his remains could not be sent back to his native country.
