Always deescalate. He would've still be alive if dude had just de-escalated the situation.
Janet Rich, a customer at the deli, told The New York Daily News that the stabbing was "over a sandwich" and that she tried to intervene along with another person when the pair began to argue over who was first in line.
A sandwich maker told the outlet, and The New York Post, that the suspect stepped in front of the victim in line, before a dispute led to her allegedly spitting in his face, him throwing a plastic bottle and her pulling the knife.
After the stabbing, the suspect allegedly fled to her Harlem apartment before being arrested, per both outlets. It was not immediately clear if Cruz has retained an attorney.
Now, community members are mourning the loss of Hodges, whose brother described him as a "great person," telling the
Daily News, “He was an honorable man. He took care of his family and everybody."
Alejandro Alarcon, who told the
Post that Hodges delivers his mail, remembered him as being "real nice" and going out of his way for locals. Longtime friend Flip Morales told the
Daily News that Hodges was an "amazing person" and a "great father," who "was always a working man."