On a cold December evening in 2016, Edwin Dejesus Lopez, a 36-year-old Hispanic male, was working at the AL Mini Market in Valley Stream, a store owned by his brother. The night took a tragic turn when two men entered with the intent to rob the establishment. One of the men, later identified as Jermaine Jackson, brandished a semi-automatic handgun and held the employees at gunpoint while his accomplice attempted to take money from the cash register.
Lopez, in an act of bravery, grabbed a
bottle to defend the store and resist the robbery. In response, Jackson shot him once. Despite his injury, Lopez pursued the assailants as they tried to flee. Jackson then turned and shot Lopez multiple times, inflicting fatal wounds. The two men fled the scene empty-handed. Emergency services were called, and Lopez was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The senseless act of violence left a community in shock and a family, including his wife and teenage daughter, devastated.
The investigation that followed involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department. Surveillance footage from the mini-market proved to be crucial in identifying the shooter. In March 2017, Jermaine Jackson, a resident of Queens Village, was arrested and federally charged with the murder of Edwin Dejesus Lopez. Initially, Jackson pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
However, in December 2017, Jermaine Jackson pleaded guilty to the firearm-related murder charge. The following year, in December 2018, he was sentenced to 365 months, or just over 30 years, in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. While the identity of Jackson's co-conspirator was mentioned in reports, there is no publicly available information regarding their arrest or conviction in connection with the fatal robbery. The sentencing of Jermaine Jackson brought a measure of closure to the family of Edwin Dejesus Lopez, though the tragic loss of a hardworking man who was defending his family's livelihood remains a painful memory for the community.
