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Mohammad Yousuf Raju, 44, a Bangladeshi man from Noakhali, was shot dead while working at a restaurant in New York City, leaving his family in Bangladesh devastated.
Raju, from Kongshnagar village in Sonaimuri upazila, moved to the United States in October 2023 in hopes of building a better future. He had left behind his pregnant wife, planning to bring her and their children to the US after completing the necessary paperwork.
That dream was cut short when he was killed in a shooting in Brooklyn at the age of 44.
Raju was shot at around 11:45pm Saturday at American Best Wings, a pizza-and-fried-chicken restaurant at 842 Rockaway Avenue in the East New York area of Brooklyn, where he worked.
His colleague Mohammad Russell was also injured in the shooting. Russell, from Cumilla’s Meghna upazila, was shot in the leg and is receiving treatment at Brookdale Hospital.
According to expatriate journalist Rudra Masud, who spoke to the restaurant owner, colleagues, roommate and acquaintances, Raju and Russell were working at the restaurant when an assailant suddenly opened fire. Russell was shot first, followed by Raju. The attacker then fled the scene.
Police from the NYPD’s 73rd Precinct responded to the scene and took both victims to Brookdale Hospital, where doctors pronounced Raju dead. Russell remains under treatment.
Raju’s family said he had two daughters—12-year-old Jannatul Naima and two-and-a-half-year-old Raisa. His wife was pregnant when he left for the United States, and Raisa was born after his departure.
His death has left the family facing severe uncertainty. Abdul Aziz, a member of Ward 3 of Amishapara Union Parishad, said Raju had borrowed around Tk45 lakh to travel to the US, including Tk12 lakh from his own savings. A significant portion of the debt remains unpaid, he said.
Raju’s father Mohammad Ullah and mother Lucky Akter have appealed to the government to arrange the quick repatriation of their son’s body.
His wife, Poly Akter, who is now raising their two daughters alone, has also sought government assistance for the children’s future and the return of her husband’s body.
Raju had previously worked as a painter and had spent nearly three years in Qatar. He arrived in the US in October 2023 and had valid work documents, according to his colleagues.
His close friend and restaurant owner Abdul Jalil Shipon said he rushed to the restaurant and later to the hospital after learning about the shooting. He said he was unaware of any previous dispute involving Raju or any other employee.
Police have launched an investigation and collected CCTV footage from the restaurant as well as Raju’s mobile phone, Shipon said. No arrest had been reported as of Sunday night.
Zahid Mintu, president of the Greater Noakhali Society-USA Inc., said Raju was not a member of the organisation, but it would provide necessary assistance in sending his body back to Bangladesh.