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Man fatally stabbed at Queens Village deli

Suspect in custody after deadly stabbing inside Queens deli
Suspect in custody after deadly stabbing inside Queens deli 00:44

NEW YORK -- A man was stabbed and killed in Queens early Saturday morning. 

It happened around 5:30 a.m. at a deli on Jamaica Avenue near Vanderveer Street in Queens Village.

The deli's owner says a fight started between an employee and a customer, and a third man stepped in to defend the worker.

Police say that 68-year-old man stabbed the 41-year-old customer in the thigh. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Those who know the suspect say it's out of character for him to resort to violence.

"Very nice man. He feed the bird, he clean the sidewalk in morning, and he say hello, good morning to everybody," said one man who works in the area.

"He tried to break it up ... He said he stabbed him by mistake," said Mohamed Ali, owner of Star Jamaica Deli Corp.

The 68-year-old suspect allegedly ran from the deli to his nearby apartment, where he was arrested by police.

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