COPIAGUE, N.Y. (AP) - A man charged with shooting up a Long Island deli Saturday, killing two men and wounding two others, told investigators he pulled out his gun in response to a remark made at his expense, prosecutors alleged in charging documents.
Dionicio Calderon-Oseguera, 62, of Copiague, was arraigned by video Monday on murder and attempted murder charges. He was ordered jailed without bail.
Calderon-Oseguera’s lawyer, Ian Fitzgerald, said they would seek to challenge evidence, including his alleged confession to police detectives and video from the incident.
“Obviously, he’s presumed innocent,” Fitzgerald said.
According to prosecutors, Calderon-Oseguera told detectives he had gone to the La Vaquita Corp. deli in Copiague and heard two men say something about him, and then, “I took out my 9mm and fired four shots. I don’t know if they died.”
Manuel Cruz-Hernandez, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday. He was shot in the head and shoulder, prosecutors said. Deli owner Bolivar Rodriguez, 61, was shot in the head and died Monday.
Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, the commanding officer of the Suffolk Homicide Squad, said police believe Rodriguez was “was an innocent victim” and not the intended target of the shooting.
Juan Ramone Avilla Roque, 30, was wounded in the arm and sustained injuries to his chest cavity, prosecutors said. Daniel E. Acosta, 40, was shot in the back, injuring a kidney. Both remain hospitalized.
Calderon-Oseguera was arrested Sunday. Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said the evidence against him was “overwhelming.”
“This was a horrific, senseless act that resulted in the death of two victims - one of whom was shot at point-blank range by the defendant - and put many other lives at risk,” Sini said.
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