American Best Wings & Pizza on Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville, where prosecutors allege two employees were shot during an attempted robbery Aug. 22. One worker, MD Yousuf, 44, died from his injuries.
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A Bronx man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting two employees during an attempted robbery at a Brownsville restaurant last month, killing one of them, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Monday.
Jesus Acosta, 31, of the Bronx, was arraigned on Sept. 21 in Brooklyn Supreme Court on an 11-count indictment stemming from the Aug. 22 shooting at American Best Wings & Pizza on Rockaway Avenue.
Acosta is charged with first- and second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree attempted robbery and related charges, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. He is being held without bail and is due back in court Dec. 4.
Prosecutors allege that Acosta entered the restaurant at about 11:50 p.m. carrying a black plastic bag. He allegedly reached into the bag, walked behind the counter where two employees were working and opened fire.
MD Yousuf, 44, was shot in the torso, while a 39-year-old man was shot in the leg, according to prosecutors. Acosta allegedly then banged on the cash register with the gun in his hand before fleeing.
Yousuf, a married father of two, was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Two hardworking New Yorkers were brutally attacked during an attempted robbery, and a husband and father of two tragically lost his life,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “This kind of violence tears families apart and endangers entire communities.”
Acosta was arrested Aug. 29 in a Bronx park.
“We have driven gun violence to a record low in Brooklyn through focused enforcement and strong accountability for those who commit these horrific crimes, and our prosecutors will pursue this case vigorously,” Gonzalez said.