Logo

Police have collared the gunman accused of shooting a former SUNY football star, police said Wednesday.

Jeffrey Thurston, 27, was arrested less than 48 hours after shooting 20-year-old Malachi Capers inside the 136 Deli & Grill on Springfield Avenue in Queens, Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison tweeted.

Charges are still pending, police said.

Thurston was caught on camera pulling a gun on Capers after a fist-fight inside the deli around 5:30 p.m. Monday that spilled over onto the sidewalk.

Capers was in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

This wasn’t Thurston first run-in with the law. He has four prior arrests for burglary, criminal mischief and felony assault, police said.

Capers is a student at SUNY Buffalo where he is majoring in psychology. He last played for the college’s football team in 2018 when he was a freshman.

1 of 6
Surveillance video tweetined by the NYPD allegedly shows suspect Jeffrey Thurston shooting former SUNY Buffalo football player Malachi Capers
NYPD
Jeffrey Thurston
Jeffrey Thurston
Advertisement
Malachi Capers
Malachi CapersFacebook
Deli and Grill at 135-33 Springfied Blvd in Jamaica, Queens
Deli and Grill at 135-33 Springfied Blvd in Jamaica, QueensWilliam Miller
Advertisement

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy