Police: Homeless man fatally stabbed outside Bronx smoke shop, store employee arrested
NEW YORK -- There was a deadly stabbing outside a Bronx smoke shop Saturday, and police say a store employee has been arrested.
It happened at the Magic 7 Smoke Shop on West Fordham Road in University Heights.
Police say the store manager was carrying some boxes inside around noon when he bumped into 59-year-old Kenneth Fair, who was walking along the sidewalk. Fair apparently thought the bump was intentional.
After an exchange of words, Fair allegedly took a swing at the manager with his cane.
From there, police say an employee who was inside the smoke shop ran out, grabbed Fair from behind and stabbed him in the neck.
Fair was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police say he was experiencing homelessness.
Neighbors told CBS2's Kevin Rincon that Fair was a quiet man who kept to himself and lived around the corner from the smoke shop.
"He's so nice to everybody here, so I never see him have a problem with nobody," one woman said. "He loved my son. He talked to my son all the time, too ... Oh my God, I feel so bad. I feel so bad for him."
The smoke shop employee, identified as 54-year-old Vernon Gowdy, was arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon.
As police continue their investigation, Francisco Marte, the head of the Bodega and Small Business Association, says recent attacks on workers have left many on edge.
"This is another self-defense ... He assaulted them. They said sorry," Marte said. "It happened so quick that he end up in a tragedy."
According to police, both Fair and Gowdy have criminal records.
