Long Island CVS worker stabbed to death on Christmas
A Long Island CVS employee was stabbed to death on Christmas night.
It happened around 7 p.m. Thursday at a store on East Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst, according to the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad.
Suffolk County authorities said the pharmacy's corporate policies have been hindering their investigation.
When officers arrived, they found 23-year-old Edeedson Cine, Jr. of West Babylon with a stab wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"This poor kid went to work on Christmas"
"I want to say on behalf of the Suffolk County Police Department, our hearts go out to his family, and his loved ones, and we're going to do everything in our power to arrest the individual responsible for this heinous crime," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said. "It appears this poor kid went to work on Christmas and he was assaulted while he was working behind the counter in the store."
Detectives said the suspect, a man in his 40s, fled the scene.
"Based on the person of interest and his background, I can only assume he was in the store for nefarious reasons, and it's possible their confrontation was a result of that," Catalina said.
Catalina said he thought an arrest was imminent.
Police are still trying to figure out the reason behind the attack.
Suffolk County's top cop blasts CVS for surveillance video delay
The store was shut down Friday for the investigation, leaving only the drive-through open. Police were seen combing the area for additional clues.
CVS issued the following statement:
We're devastated over the tragic stabbing that occurred inside our East Montauk Highway store on Christmas night. Edeedson Cine was a valued member of the store team, known for his strong work ethic. During his 10 months with CVS, he was a hard-working and dedicated employee and his loss will be felt by all of us. Our thoughts are with Edeedson's family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. Counseling and support services are being offered to all store colleagues to help them cope with this senseless tragedy.
We're grateful to the Suffolk County Police Department for their quick response and are cooperating fully as they investigate.
But Suffolk County Police didn't seem to think CVS was doing all it could. Catalina said that, 18 hours after the killing, CVS hadn't released its surveillance video to police.
"We do have a person of interest who we're looking at, but unfortunately, as a result of CVS policy, and I don't know if their policy is prioritizing corporate interest over a homicide of one of their employees, but, you know, 18 hours into the investigation, we still have not been given full access to the video that exists with inside the store. Quite frankly, that has hampered our ability to make an arrest in this investigation," Catalina said. "I am shock and appalled by it. If the CEO of CVS had to fly out to Long Island to not only console the family but make sure the video was released in a timely fashion, then he should have."
"Quite frankly, the video shouldn't have been held for 18 minutes, let alone 18 hours. So, again, it's been pretty frustrating," Catalina added.
CVS told CBS News New York the video was turned over to police at 12:30 p.m. Friday.
"It took quite a bit of time to pull and package in the specific manner they asked for," a spokesperson said. "We have requested they confirm receipt and ability to view but have not yet heard back."
"It's heartbreaking"
Cine's family spoke with CBS News New York off camera, saying Cine wasn't even supposed to be working on Christmas, and that at the last second he picked up someone else's shift.
There was a makeshift memorial outside the CVS Friday. Members of the community stopped by to pray.
Cine made an impression on many regular customers.
"He would go above and beyond. If you needed something, he would be responsive to you. He was always a nice, polite kid," said Lindenhurst resident Margaret Reichling.
"It hit me very hard," Lindenhurst resident Michael Flannery said.
"It's heartbreaking," one person said.
"This is the worst we have had in years for the holiday season," said another.