Cops nabbed a Bronx man on Monday who allegedly shot and killed a Jackson Heights man at a neighborhood grocery store last week in what sources said may be a gang-related homicide.
Law enforcement sources said Gamaliel Desiderio-Sanchez, 28, allegedly walked into the 5 de Mayo store located at 81-06 Roosevelt Ave. a little before 8:15 p.m. on March 22 and approached Saferino Flores Pineda, 31.
According to authorities, Desiderio-Sanchez pulled out a black handgun and shot Flores-Pineda twice in the chest before fleeing the scene. Sources familiar with the investigation indicated that the two men were known to each other, but the nature of their relationship was not known.
Officers from the 110th Precinct and EMS units rushed to the scene after receiving a 911 call about the shooting. Paramedics rushed Flores-Pineda to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
At this time, police have not established a motive for the shooting. Authorities said that detectives are examining a possible connection to gang activity.
Through their investigation, detectives tracked down Desiderio-Sanchez and arrested him on the morning of March 26. He’s charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
