'Everybody loved him': Slain Brooklyn deli worker enjoyed helping others

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (PIX11) – A Brooklyn deli worker who was shot and killed over a cigar Monday was well known in the neighborhood where “everybody loved him,” a friend said.

Nazim Berry, 37, was fatally shot at Franklin Avenue and Lincoln Place in Crown Heights around 4:15 p.m., according to the NYPD.

A patron asked Berry to buy him a Black & Mild cigar, and things escalated after Berry refused, according to police.

“The guy asked him to buy him a Black & Mild and [Berry] said ‘no’ and they started to argue," said Danette Hollie, Berry’s grieving mother. “I knew it was senseless. I knew that it had to be over something stupid because I know his heart."

The suspect left the deli and apparently went to get a gun and came back to confront Berry, police said.

“They tussled, and you know when you bend down and you’re tussling, the guy pointed the gun at the back of his head and shot him,” Hollie said.

The shooting sent shockwaves through the neighborhood where Berry was well known. He was not a paid employee of the deli, but he did odd jobs to earn tips and small wages.

"Nazim was proud when he was over here on the corner to work and love everybody and help who he can help, but he just was getting a little annoyed with people asking him for things,” Hollie said.

(Credit: Citizen app)

A growing memorial to honor Berry has been placed outside the deli.

A local resident said Berry had worked at the deli for quite some time and was always willing to help people.

"He was a good brother. Everybody loved him,” said Aaron Manuel, another deli customer and friend of Berry. "It's a shame. This guy has got to be caught and put in jail.”

Police released surveillance images of the suspect, who hasn’t been caught.

Police are searching for a man wanted in the death of 37-year-old Nazim Berry in Brooklyn on Feb. 26, 2024. (Courtesy of NYPD)

The United Bodegas of America is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.