Damion Francis, a 32-year-old man, was fatally shot in a Brooklyn deli on the evening of October 27, 2015, in an act of courageous intervention. Francis was inside the 560 Grocery and Food Store on Remsen Avenue in Canarsie when two men entered with the intent to rob the establishment. He was reportedly buying a soda at the counter.
Surveillance footage from the scene showed two individuals entering the deli.
One of the men stood by the door, acting as a lookout, while the other, brandishing a firearm, approached the counter and demanded money from the clerk. Francis attempted to intervene in the robbery, a decision that tragically cost him his life. The armed suspect turned his weapon on Francis, shooting him in the torso.
After the shooting, the assailant reached over the counter, grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register, and fled the scene with his accomplice. Emergency services were called, and Francis was rushed to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The New York Police Department released descriptions of the two suspects to the public in the hopes of generating leads. The gunman was described as a dark-skinned male, approximately 5-foot-7 and weighing around 150 pounds, who was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and grey pants at the time of the incident. The second suspect was described as being about 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, and he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.
Despite the circulation of the suspects' descriptions and pleas from the police for information, there have been no subsequent news reports indicating that any arrests have been made in the case. The death of Damion Francis, a man who bravely stood up to armed robbers, officially remains unsolved.
