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NYPD searching for 2 men who beat homeless man to death in Brooklyn, officials say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 10, 2024
Modified Oct 10, 2024
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Brittany Kriegstein/Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 10, 2024
Modified Oct 10, 2024
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Police said two homeless men were attacked while they slept in a ShopRite parking lot in Brooklyn — and one of them was beaten so badly he died in the hospital weeks later.
According to NYPD officials and store employees, 38-year-old Jervin Jonas Ajpuac Cos was sleeping next to his 42-year-old friend in the supermarket’s underground parking complex on McDonald Avenue in Mapleton on Sept. 18.
Around 7 p.m., police said two men with metal pipes and a baseball bat approached Ajpuac Cos and his friend and started beating them.
The 42-year-old man suffered cuts and bruising to his head and body, and Ajpuac Cos suffered pain and swelling to his legs and stomach, police said. Both were transported to Maimonides Medical Center for evaluation, and the 42-year-old man was later released.
Ajpuac Cos, however, sustained internal bleeding and was pronounced dead at the hospital on Oct. 2. According to police officials, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.
Jervin Jonas Ajpuac Cos, who police say was beaten death while sleeping in a garage.
Facebook image
On Wednesday, NYPD officials announced they’re searching for Francisco Corocoj, 25, and Manuel Perez, 49, in connection with the attack – and said both men are known to hang around the area near McDonald Avenue and Ocean Parkway.
ShopRite security worker Stephen DeGrasse said Ajpuac Cos regularly slept in the underground parking area with several other men – including one of the men police identified as an attacker. He said they all made a little cash by depositing bottles into the store’s redemption machines.
“It was sad, ‘cause I know all of them. I go downstairs and speak to them all the time, sometimes I buy them food, chicken, bread, give them some water,” he said. “It happened as soon as I left.”
DeGrasse said there have been small dust-ups within the group in the past, but nothing like this – he said surveillance video of the assault was “brutal.” He said he’s not exactly sure why it happened. Police officials said there was no clear motive for the attack.
“Every time he sees me, he always says hello to me, he’s very polite. I’ve never had a problem with him, out of all the people who usually come,” DeGrasse said, referring to Ajpuac Cos.
The organization Manos de Ayuda posted a video about the incident on Facebook and urged members of New York's Guatemalan community to donate money to help return Ajpuac Cos’ body to his home city of Solola.
“It’s so sad that another fellow citizen has expired in this country. He came here for a purpose, out of necessity, but he wasn’t able to see it through,” the narrator said in Spanish.
It’s unclear when Ajpuac Cos came to New York, and whether he was part of the recent influx of migrants in the city.
DeGrasse said the store has not been able to stop the men from sleeping in the parking lot – especially because they come so frequently to cash in their bottles.
“They were friends, they all used to be downstairs with each other,” he said. “I really just hope that they find the people who did that.”
This is a developing story based on police information and may be updated.
Tagged
nypd
public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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