Justice Wins In High-Profile Self Defense Case
(TargetLiberty.org) – On July 1, police arrested Jose Alba for second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Austin Simon, who attacked him over a bag of chips at a bodega in Harlem, New York. After public outrage, a statement from the mayor, and a look at the security footage, NY Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sigall submitted a motion to drop the charges.
61-year-old bodega worker Jose Alba was attacked by an enraged career criminal, Austin Simon, who went behind the counter and choked him over a bag of chips. Alba defended himself, and Simon died. DA Alvin Bragg has charged him with murder. pic.twitter.com/FIfL1O1q7X
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 7, 2022
The 61-year-old was working at the corner store when Simon, his girlfriend, and her child walked in to make a purchase. When the card reader declined the woman’s purchase, her boyfriend went behind the partition and attacked the cashier. Fearing for his life, Alba grabbed a knife and stabbed the perpetrator to death.
Originally, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) charged the man for the murder, setting a half-a-million dollar bail. A week later, Mayor Eric Adams (D) made it clear he supported the shop employee, saying people should not be attacked at their workplace. The court then reduced the suspect’s bond and released him with an ankle monitor, but now he’s a free man entirely.
Although Alba is now cleared from prosecution, he no longer feels safe at his job because he fears retaliation from friends of the deceased.
Do you think the bodega employee’s actions were justified?
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