An Elmhurst man who was robbed of his phone and punched in the side of the head in front of a Jamaica store last September died of his injuries last week, and his death was ruled a homicide, police said.
At approximately 6:28 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2017, 66-year-old Mohamaad Alam of Pettit Avenue was talking on his cell phone in front of MIM Wireless, located at 167-05 Hillside Ave., when an unknown individual approached him and grabbed his phone from his ear, fleeing the scene on foot westbound on Hillside Avenue.
When Alam attempted to chase the suspect, he was punched in the side of the head by another suspect, who also fled the scene on foot.
EMS responded to the scene and transported Alam to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition.
Following an investigation, on Oct. 2, 2017, officers arrested Shyquan Kimble, 16, of Far Rockaway and Jaleel Steele, 16, of Jamaica and charged them with two counts of robbery and assault.
Police released security camera footage of Kimble and Steele on the day of the incident.
On Jan. 28, Alam died of injuries at Saint John’s Hospital. The incident is now being investigated as a homicide.
Additional charges against Kimbel and Steele are pending the results of the ongoing investigation.
