QUEENS, NY – Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz recently announced that Steven Cohen has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the shooting death of a 26-year-old deli worker, Tarwala Mahmadkhurshid, after a brief verbal altercation.
Cohen, 66, who has no known address, pleaded guilty on March 30 to manslaughter in the first degree. Queens Supreme Court Justice Ira Margulis sentenced Cohen to 22 years in prison to be followed by 5 years post-release supervision.
According to the charges, on October 26, 2020, Cohen argued with Mahmadkhurshid inside the Cross Bay Express Deli at 137-02 Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park.
Cohen was ordered out of the store but returned a short time later with a Colt revolver. Cohen pointed the gun at Mahmadkhurshid and fired multiple times, striking the victim in the abdomen by a single bullet. Cohen then fired the weapon again, aiming for another deli employee but missed his intended target.
An off-duty police officer inside the store disarmed Cohen and held him until other officers arrived on the scene. Mr. Mahmadkhurshid was immediately transported to a local Queens hospital and later died from his injuries.