New York: A Bangladeshi-owned restaurant in New York’s Queens came under attack by an unidentified gunman on Saturday, injuring one employee and sending customers running for cover, reports UNB, quoting CBS News reports. Surveillance video from inside Boishakhi Restaurant — in the Astoria neighbourhood of Queens — shows people, including children, who were sitting down eating and in line waiting for food, running out of the establishment and ducking for cover after a gunman opened fire.

“We had a lot of customers inside. After the initial shooting, he moved around a bit, then he went behind my counter and shot one of my employees,” restaurant owner Abu Taher told CBS News. According to Taher, the gunman, who was wearing a mask and a red hooded sweatshirt, fired three shots. “He didn’t say anything. He just came and shot and ran away,” he said. One of the bullets hit an employee of the restaurant in the upper thigh. Police say the shooter took off running.

While the motive is still being investigated, sources say the gunman got into an argument with an employee in the store earlier in the week. Now, the shattered glass, bullet holes and half-eaten food left behind are a grim reminder to the family who runs the restaurant that gun violence can affect you when you least expect it. “Definitely scared, you know. It’s a very small business,” Taher told CBS. “I’m really scared to run a small business in New York City. It’s not safe, actually. We are not safe. Our life is not safe.”

Boishakhi Restaurant — near 36th Avenue and 29th Street in the Astoria neighbourhood — was previously featured in The New York Times for its delicious Bangladeshi food. It also received “Special Congressional Recognition” in 2021 for its community service during the Covid-19 pandemic. (daily observer)

Sweety/Hakkatha