On the evening of March 22, 2018, a fatal encounter unfolded inside the 5 de Mayo shop, a grocery store located at 81-06 Roosevelt Ave. in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. Saferino Flores Pineda, a 31-year-old Hispanic man, was shot and killed in what authorities described as an ambush. The incident, which occurred at approximately 8:15 p.m., was suspected by law enforcement to be connected to gang activity.
Two individuals were later identified and apprehended for their roles
in the murder. According to a criminal complaint, Gamaliel Desiderio-Sanchez, 28, of the Bronx, engaged Pineda in a conversation inside the store. As they were talking, a second man, Fabian DeJesus-Garcia, 28, of Corona, approached Pineda from behind and shot him three times. After the shooting, both assailants fled the scene. Emergency services were called, and Pineda was transported to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation by the 110th Precinct Detective Squad led to the swift arrests of both suspects. Gamaliel Desiderio-Sanchez was taken into custody on March 26, 2018. Fabian DeJesus-Garcia was arrested a few days later, on March 30, 2018. Both men faced charges of murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, both men were convicted for their involvement in the death of Saferino Flores Pineda. Fabian DeJesus-Garcia was found guilty of murder in the second degree and, in May 2022, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. His accomplice, Gamaliel Desiderio-Sanchez, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a sentence of 18 years in prison, to be followed by five years of post-release supervision. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz characterized the crime as an 'execution in a busy commercial area.'
