A 19-year-old man was shot dead by a teen who tried to rob him at a Bath Beach, Brooklyn, BJ’s Wholesale Club Thursday, cops said.
Dereck Chen, of Bensonhurst, was in an upper-level parking area of the Shore Parkway store with a friend around 10:15 p.m. when the suspect, 18, forced him into the elevator alone, cops said.
The suspect snatched Chen’s backpack, and then shot him in the face and right shoulder when he tried to grab it back, cops said.
The gunman was arrested soon after.
The suspect, Edino Tzul, 18, of Brooklyn, was charged with murder, six counts of robbery, four counts of criminal use of a firearm and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Chen – who lived about 2 miles from the scene – was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead, cops said.
The teen was shot in the face when he struggled to grab his backpack back from the 18-year-old gunman, cops said. William C. Lopez/NYPOST
Dereck Chen, 19, was in the parking area of the Shore Parkway store in Bath Beach with a friend around 10:15 p.m. Thursday when the 18-year-old suspect approached him and forced him into the elevator alone, authorities said. William C. Lopez/NYPOST
The suspect was taken into custody with charges pending, authorities said. William C. Lopez/NYPOSTIn a statement issued to WCBS, BJ’s called the shooting a “terrible tragedy.”
“BJ’s Wholesale Club joins our Bath Beach community in mourning the loss of the victim and denouncing violence of any kind,” the statement said. “The safety and security of our BJ’s members, team members and community is our top priority, and we are working with local authorities and security experts to ensure the safest environment.”
