In the early hours of an August morning in the Bronx, a hardworking man's life was tragically cut short in a sudden burst of violence. Wally Camara, a 49-year-old male employee of a convenience store, was fatally shot on August 9, 2016. The incident unfolded when a man, later identified as 30-year-old Efrain Guzman, entered the N&A Food convenience store where Camara worked and began begging for money.
After Camara removed him from the store, Guzman crossed the street to another bodega, the A&M Deli, where his behavior escalated.
Inside the A&M Deli, Guzman became aggressive, demanding money and attempting to get behind the counter, leading to a physical altercation with the employees. Hearing the commotion, Wally Camara, an immigrant from Mali who had worked at his store for a decade, rushed across the street to help his fellow bodega workers. Two NYPD officers arrived at the scene and intervened in the fight, escorting Guzman out of the deli. In a sudden and desperate move, Guzman managed to wrestle a gun from one of the officer's holsters and began firing indiscriminately.
In the ensuing chaos, Wally Camara was struck by a bullet in the leg. He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, but the gunshot wound to his thigh proved fatal. The second police officer at the scene returned fire, striking Guzman. Even after being wounded and on the ground, Guzman continued to fire the officer's weapon until it was empty.
Efrain Guzman was arrested and subsequently indicted on a slew of charges, including first-degree murder. In court, Guzman expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he was on PCP at the time of the incident and was ashamed of himself. In January 2019, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Two months later, Efrain Guzman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the killing of Wally Camara. In the wake of the tragedy, Camara's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the NYPD, questioning the adequacy of police training and the safety of the gun holsters used at the time.
