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Homeless man shoots craft beer store employee in Ozone Park: NYPD

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Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

A homeless man was arrested Monday for allegedly shooting an employee of a craft beer shop in Ozone Park.

On Monday, Oct. 26, around 6:15 p.m., Steven Cohen walked into the Craft Beer Lotto Cigar shop, located at  137-02 Cross Bay Blvd., according to the NYPD.

Once inside, Cohen, 63, began to get into an argument with  Mohmediyan Tarwala, 26, an employee at the store, cops said. According to a witness who declined to give their name, Cohen, who was homeless and living out of a nearby van, attempted to rob the store.

Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

As the dispute escalated, Cohen took out a gun and shot Tarwala in the stomach, according to the police. Cohen also shot at a second employee but missed, cops said.

EMS personnel arrived to the beer shop to find Tarwala unconscious and unresponsive. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

According to the police, an NYPD officer witnessed the shooting.

Cohen was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal use of a firearm around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Additional reporting by Lloyd Mitchell.