Diego Sandoval-Nava, 33, was working at a bodega on Hegeman Avenue when a dispute over loose cigarettes turned violent, police said.
Police say the suspect entered the deli around 3 p.m., acting erratically and screaming. He left and returned a few minutes later, attempting to get behind the counter where the cigarettes were stocked.
When Sandoval-Nava confronted the suspect, he was stabbed in the stomach several times.
The suspect then fled.
Sandoval-Nava was brought to One Brooklyn Health-Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
"How could someone take someone's life over loosies, over cigarettes? I mean, it's crazy what is going on with some people. We don't understand how you can take someone's life, a young man's life, over cigarettes," Fernando Mateo of United Bodegas of America reacted to the attack.
Sandoval-Nava lived above the deli and was described by his community as a hardworking father.
"He would help other people outside, making sure they're doing okay, feeding them. For me, he was always making sure I'm okay," said Andy, one of Sandoval-Nava's friends.
Police described the suspect as roughly 190 pounds and 5'10 with braided hair.
No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.
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