A CVS employee who was fatally stabbed while working on Christmas was covering a shift for a coworker that night, his brother said.
Edeedson Cine, 23, was stabbed in the chest at a CVS in Lindenhurst, N.Y., on the evening of Dec. 25, according to police. Authorities responded around 6:50 p.m. and found Cine injured; he was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Cine had stepped in to cover for a friend, his brother told News 12 Long Island.
Police said the suspect ran from the store on foot. According to reports from News 12, The New York Times and CBS News, authorities later arrested 43-year-old John Pilaccio in connection with the stabbing. Those reports say he has been charged with second-degree murder. News 12 reported that he pleaded not guilty.
“It appears this poor kid went to work on Christmas, and he was assaulted while he was working behind the counter in the store,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina told CBS.
News 12 and Newsday, citing court documents and prosecutors, reported that investigators allege Pilaccio entered the store and attacked Cine.
“The first thing [Pilaccio] did when he got up to the cashier … unfortunately was to attack him,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told Newsday, adding that authorities say the incident was recorded on video: “The crime is captured on the video.”
Cine’s father, Edeedson Sr., spoke to the New York Post about his son.
“He was the kind of person who would step in front of a bullet for anyone,” he said. “He would volunteer for the tough assignments. He was simple, and I loved that about my son.”
A GoFundMe set up to support Cine’s family has raised more than $90,000.
