By Howard Koplowitz
A hardworking Guatemalan immigrant was fatally beaten near his Jamaica home late Thanksgiving night, police and the victim’s brother said.
A group of men asked 26-year-old Santos Jesus Garcia for money around 11:57 p.m. Thursday and beat him with baseball bats when he refused, leaving a pool of blood on the steps of 90-19 143rd St. in Jamaica, according to police and Garcia’s brother, Geronimo.
Police declared Garcia dead at the scene.
A friend of Garcia’s, identified as a 26-year-old Hispanic man, was also attacked and taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition, police said.
A third man was assaulted during the incident, authorities said, but refused medical treatment and did not want to release his name to police.
Garcia lived two houses down from where he was killed, his brother said.
Police said they have not made any arrests related to the incident.
Geronimo said his brother worked in construction and at a car wash and never got into trouble.
“He’s a nice guy. He didn’t have no problems with nobody,” he said. “He worked hard, had two jobs.”
Garcia had an 8-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son who live in Guatemala.
He left the Central American country four years ago for a better life in Queens, his brother said.
“He tried to get a house for his kids,” Geronimo said.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
