A 61-year-old New York security guard was killed while trying to de-escalate a fight involving his coworker earlier this month.
Laurence Hopkins, who worked as a bouncer at Garden Bar and Grill in Brooklyn, was stabbed in the neck during the early hours of Feb. 10, Pix 11 and New York Daily News reported.
While attempting to defuse the argument, he was attacked by one of the men with a knife.
Hopkins was left with a deep cut through his tongue and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. His coworkers tried to help him while people inside the joint finished their drinks. He was also stabbed in the chest and armpit, according to the reports.
Hopkins was eating when the argument erupted between his coworker and the men, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told The Daily News.
The woman was trying to pass by, but the men kept “blocking” her path,” he said.
“We have numerous witness statements saying that he’s telling everybody to relax, just chill out. One of the males breaks free and stabs him in the neck, unprovoked from the side, “ Kenny continued. “Poor guy never saw it coming.”
The suspects involved in this case reportedly remain at large as surveillance footage and photos were released.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to the NYPD on Monday for an update. Hopkins’ loved ones commended his actions, acknowledging that he was trying to help.
“Larry was a good man. He didn’t do nothing wrong. He didn’t deserve to get stabbed like that,” his friend Billy Cullum told The New York Post. “He just did his job, took care of the people, made sure everybody was safe. He wasn’t safe that night. His own life was taken.”
Per the outlets, police were able to obtain the murder weapon and released the image of the potential suspect. They urged the public to contact them with any information related to this case. Hopkins’ friend remembered him as someone who joked a lot who his his family adored.
“His sister passed a few years ago from cancer, so now the brother is the only sibling alive,” longtime friend Devon Mitchell said to Daily News. “[Hopkins] was a great guy, and his family is going to miss him tremendously.
