A 33-year-old man fatally shot in the head outside his family’s Brooklyn apartment building worked seven days a week to support his family, including his wife and three kids back in Guinea, devastated relatives said Thursday.
Victim Lamine Bah had no criminal record, according to cops, who have made no arrest in his Wednesday slaying and have not established a motive.
“I cannot explain to you how good he was,” the victim’s cousin Amadou Bah, 38, said. “He’s the eldest in the family. Everything, everything. He would do everything. It’s a big, big, big, big loss for the family.”
Bah stepped outside his apartment building on McKeever Place near Sullivan Place in Crown Heights after hearing that e-bikes parked outside were getting towed, cops and relatives said. Bah was trying to save his e-bike from getting towed when two men approached him around 5:50 p.m. One man fired off numerous rounds, striking Bah in the head, cops said.
Bah worked as a cook at a nearby West African restaurant during the day and delivered food for DoorDash at night with his e-bike, his siblings said.
Bah’s younger brother Idrissa Bah, 24, raced to Kings County Hospital with a friend after receiving a frantic call from his sister saying Bah had been shot.
“When (the victim) got there they were trying to do CPR but he was not responding,” Idrissa recalled. “They gave him a tube to help him to breathe but he was not responding.”
Bah’s slaying came as a shock to relatives, who remember him as a religious man with no enemies.
“He has no problems at all. No problems. Everybody loves him. He was kind. He just lived his own life,” said Bah’s brother Ibrahim Bah, 18. “The fact that something can happen to a person like him is just terrifying. You can’t just go out here and think that you’ll be safe. At the end of the day, you’re not safe at all.”
On Thursday morning, scores of mourning relatives and friends filed in and out of the family’s apartment to pay their respects and pray.
Bah, the eldest of the family, lived at the Brooklyn apartment with his parents, four brothers and two sisters since he immigrated from Guinea in 2019, relatives said.
“He devoted everything, his whole lifestyle for his family. Making sure we’re eating good. Making sure his siblings are okay,” Idrissa said. “He’s the core of the family. The rock of the family.”
Bah was the household breadwinner, while also sending money back to his wife and their three sons ages 5, 3 and 7 months.
“He used to work five days a week but since he’s the one supporting the family that was not enough for all the bills. He decided to work seven days a week,” said Idrissa.
Biro-En, the African restaurant on Bedford Ave. near Crown St. where Bah cooked, was closed on Thursday.
“It’s just too somber to open,” said colleague Diao Diallo, 33. “We just can’t. No one’s going to want to come in.”
Neither coworkers or customers ever had any complaints about the hardworking cook, Diallo said.
“He was jovial. Sometimes he sits out there with the customers and eats with them. He had no problems. He’s not the type of person [to get] into an argument,” the colleague said. “Sounds more like the wrong place, wrong time. It’s crazy.”
Bah’s mother, who worked as a cook at Biro-En for 15 years before she had a stroke in 2021, taught him how to cook, said Idrissa.
“He’s the one who replaced my mom. She could not go back to work. He cooked for us at home. He made food for us. He managed everything. He’s very kind. He’s very helpful,” he said.
Diallo recalled often running into Bah accompanying his mother, who uses a wheelchair, to the local park for fresh air.
“He’s very caring. He always liked to include everybody. He’s nurturing,” said Bah’s younger sister Aissata Bah, 17. “He was one of the first people to help my mom be able to eat again in the hospital.”
When Bah wasn’t working or taking care of the family he devoted his time to Islam.
“He liked to read the Quran. He was very spiritual. He always makes sure that we all pray. He gives us advice a lot about the world and life,” Idrissa said. “Religion first. Make sure you help your family all the time, no matter what.”
In the wake of Bah’s death, attempting to emulate his older brother, Idrissa said he is trying to be strong for their parents. “Everybody cannot cry at the same time,” he said.
The family is hoping the killer is caught.
“He can turn himself in but the damage he has done is already done,” said the cousin, Amadou. “He has done what he has done. It’s finished. It’s forever. You cannot live twice. The person has to repent.”
With Thomas Tracy
