Jose Alba, a bodega worker, who claimed to murder Austin Simon as part of lawful self-defense has filed a racial discrimination complaint on Friday against NYPD and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Bodega Worker Involved in 2022 Fatal Stabbing of Attacker Files Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against NYPD and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for “Inhumane and Unconstitutional Conditions” (Photo: NewYorkPost)

Bodega Worker Murder Report

The 61-year-old bodega worker was initially convicted of second-degree murder of 35-year-old ex-con Simon. The incident took place in Harlem where the two parties’ alleged argument over a bag of chips that the bodega worker’s girlfriend couldn’t pay turned into a severe physical altercation. According to the bodega worker’s complaint, he was locked up in Rikers Island since he couldn’t afford the hefty fine and suffered six days of “inhumane and unconstitutional conditions” due to Bragg’s pursuit of “racial equity” in the Manhattan criminal justice system, the New York Post stated.

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Bodega Worker Conviction

The bodega worker as reported by The Messenger was initially bailed at $500,000 by Bragg but then halved to $250,000 by a judge whereas, after six days, he paid a once-again lowered bail of $50,000. Bragg then dropped the charges against the bodega worker on July 19 issuing a statement of insufficient evidence to prove he had not been “justified in his use of deadly physical force.” Moreover, the bodega worker is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages” in an amount subject to be set at a court trial. Meanwhile, the city’s Law Department indicated that the city will “review the case when served and respond accordingly.”

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