In the borough of Queens, a life was abruptly cut short on the night of November 20, 2023. Joseph Valdez, a 25-year-old Hispanic male, was shot and killed in Long Island City. The fatal encounter unfolded at approximately 10:00 p.m. in front of a Boost Mobile store located on 21st Street.
Valdez, a resident of Inwood, Manhattan, was reportedly involved in a verbal dispute with another man.
The argument escalated quickly and violently when the other individual drew a firearm and shot Valdez multiple times. Emergency medical services arrived at the scene to find Valdez with several gunshot wounds. He was rushed to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting led to an arrest in February 2024. Authorities took 36-year-old Yasser Saleh into custody in connection with the homicide. Saleh was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. Following his arrest, the case was set to be presented to a grand jury, which would decide on the formal charges he would face for his alleged role in the death of Joseph Valdez. The investigation is ongoing.
