Hundreds gathered outside Sal's Deli and Grocery on 13th Street and Avenue B on April 29 to mourn Abdul Saleh, whose death during an altercation outside the store has reignited calls for stronger protections in neighborhood businesses. According to accounts from his family, Saleh's final words before succumbing to his injuries were a plea to his brother to care for his children. "Please, brother, take care of my family," Saleh said as he lay dying. "Please just take care of my kids. Bring my kids, take my kids."
The alleged shooter, Kavone Horton, age 28, had been previously banned from the establishment after making repeated threats against Saleh and his brothers over more than a year. According to Basam Hussein, Saleh's cousin, the suspect had threatened the four brothers for an extended period. "For the past year, [the suspect] said he was going to kill the brothers," Hussein told amNewYork. The family reported calling police multiple times due to the threats and prior altercations, but response times were lengthy. The dispute escalated late Saturday night when Horton allegedly brandished a firearm and fired the shot that killed Saleh. The gunshot also produced a ricochet that wounded Horton himself.
Now, the Saleh family faces what they describe as a second tragedy: an inability to bring his widow and children from their home country to the United States. According to family members and their advocates, an immigration policy implemented by President Trump has prevented Saleh's wife and children from relocating to New York. Hussein Saleh, the victim's brother, expressed the family's determination to honor his final wishes. "That's the only thing we have left of him. So, that's the least we can do for him, is take his family from back home to here," Hussein said.
The Saleh family is urging the mayor's office and New York's congressional delegation to work with the U.S. State Department to expedite humanitarian travel authorization for his surviving family members. At the memorial service, representatives from The Alliance of Yemeni American Businesses called for additional security measures in bodegas citywide, including the installation of panic buttons. Over the past year, approximately 500 panic buttons have been installed in storefronts across the city, though thousands more remain without the safety device.
