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TERRIFYING footage has revealed the moment a fatal brawl broke out over stolen shrimp, prosecutors say.
Two brothers allegedly rushed the counter at the Fish Express Fish Market in Harlem on the night of February 21, causing a terrified worker to fight back.
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Surveillance footage obtained exclusively by the New York Post appears to show one of the NYC shopkeepers stabbing Malik Burrell, 25.
His brother Robert “Bobby” Burrell, 29, was critically injured and charged with assault and burglary while shopkeeper Junior Aquino Hernandez, 34, was initially charged with murder.
The homicide charge was later dropped but Hernandez, a father of four, could still potentially go to prison for assault.
“At this time we are not prepared to go forward with the charges related to the death of Malik pending a full investigation,” Assistant District Attorney Mireille Dee said at a hearing on Thursday night.
Bobby initially came into the shop by himself and had a disagreement with the workers while trying to buy shrimp for a birthday dinner, state attorneys said.
He allegedly attempted to leave the store without paying but dropped the shrimp and swung at a worker on his way out after being confronted.
Bobby returned shortly thereafter with his brother Malik and they made a beeline for the workers behind the counter.
The two began to pummel the worker, causing Hernandez to race to his defense, prosecutors claim.
When he wasn’t able to separate them, he went back into the kitchen to grab a knife while one of the brothers chucked a chair at the worker.
Hernandez then allegedly stabbed Malik twice in the torso while he was in the middle of punching the worker, attorneys claim.
Robert grabbed his brother and dragged him toward the entrance of the store but Hernandez was hot on their trail.
The worker pierced Malik three more times with the knife in the hand and abdomen, which caused a collapsed lung, prosecutors said.
The entire melee lasted just 35 seconds.
The brothers’ father Robert Burrell told the Post that it’s “crazy” his namesake was accused of theft.
“I know damn well my sons aren’t stealing nothing,” he said.
“They have money. They have money on their cash app and they had money in their pocket.”
Meanwhile, authorities have been vocal about the severity of the situation, saying that a man was indeed killed but the case requires serious investigation.
“We are continuing our investigation to determine whether the initial stabbing behind the counter was justified,” said Dee.
“We are, however, filing charges with regard to the incident at the door for the stabbing of Robert Burrell.”
After his charges were changed, Hernandez looked relieved and embraced his family members.
“I’m sorry,” he told reporters outside of the courthouse.
“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
Hernandez is due back in court on April 4.
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