Man beaten to death with wooden board in fight outside Queens gas station
CORONA, Queens (WABC) -- A man was beaten to death with a wooden board during a fight with a group outside a gas station in Queens.
The deadly attack happened around 2 a.m. Sunday outside a BP gas station on Junction Boulevard in Corona.
MD Sheikh was on the overnight shift and saw the fight unfold.
"I saw some people over there fighting. Maybe two groups over there - ten to 12 people," Sheikh said.
Investigators say there was an argument and Esvin Vasquez was repeatedly hit with a wooden board.
"I saw he fall down on the floor and they were going to hit him with the wood," Sheikh added.
Sheikh knew the 23-year-old was in trouble.
"I come out last moment and then I called the police also," he added.
Vasquez was married and was the father of a one-year-old son, both still in Guatemala. Vasquez was working at a furniture store during the day to build a better life.
However, early Sunday morning after the assault, Vasquez was transported to the hospital with severe head trauma - his injuries were so grave that he didn't make it, leaving behind his young family.
It is unclear what Vasquez was doing at the gas station at that hour. It is a time that Sheikh says is 'dangerous.'
"I'm scared because people come over there in the nighttime. I work here 9-10 years - sometime people come here and people is crazy," Sheikh adds.
Police say there are no arrests. They are trying to determine who was involved, and their relationship to the young father.
ALSO READ | 12-year-old slashed across chest while playing basketball at Bronx playground
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
