A Bronx man was sentenced this week to 40 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a bodega clerk and wounding the store’s owner in an unprovoked attack in Mount Eden, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced.
Tykwan McLeod, 49, of Dekalb Avenue, was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder, attempted assault in the first degree, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio handed down the sentence, which includes five years of post-release supervision.
“The defendant killed a bodega worker in a completely unprovoked act,” Clark said. “He then shot the owner of the deli, who, along with another employee, subdued the defendant before he could harm others.”
According to the investigation, on Feb. 16, 2021, at approximately 8:40 p.m., McLeod entered K’s Convenient Deli, located at 8 East Mount Eden Ave., and immediately shot Donte Thomas, 33, in the face, killing him instantly. McLeod fired twice more at Thomas as he fell.
As McLeod attempted to flee, the deli owner intervened, but McLeod shot him in the chest at point-blank range. The owner and another employee managed to wrestle the gun away from McLeod, preventing further violence. An off-duty NYPD Auxiliary Officer on the scene recovered the firearm.
Clark, in commenting on the case, emphasized the need for continued efforts to combat gun violence, stating, “This horrific act underscores the devastating impact of illegal firearms in our borough.”
