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UWS Man Who Helped In Sandy Recovery Fatally Shot In Astoria
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 3, 2013
Modified Feb 3, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 3, 2013
Modified Feb 3, 2013
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An Upper West Side man who helped with recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy was fatally shot in Queens yesterday. Police say that Francisco Leal, 27, was approached by two men at 21st Street and 41st Avenue in Astoria, in his old neighborhood, around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday. Relatives told that Post that Leal pulled a liquor bottle from his bag as if to defend himself, and one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him once in the chest. "No more guns, please," his mother, Milagros Ortega, told them. "I don't want it. I'm not supposed to bury my child at the age of 27, a month shy of his 28th birthday, because of the guns of New York. It needs to stop."
Leal was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Leal had previously been arrested for burglary, assault and witness intimidation in Queens; after he was paroled in November, his mother said he has been employed ever since through FEMA working on demolition inside storm-damaged Bellevue Hospital.
Police say no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Leal's mother added that he was a rapper, and the family thinks the shooter may have been a rival, or someone trying to settle an old score.
Tagged
astoria
fatal shooting
francisco leal
hurricane sandy
police
queens
Upper West Side
uws
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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