A year after 20-year-old Sorai King was gunned down inside a Williamsbridge deli, police say they have made an arrest. The NYPD this week took a 22-year-old man into custody and charged him with murder in the April 17, 2025 killing. King, who relatives say had only walked a block to pick up groceries, was shot in the neck and chest and later died at Jacobi Medical Center after the daytime attack. Authorities said the arrest followed an investigation that stretched for more than a year.
Marlon Smith, 22, of Co-op City, was taken into custody Monday, May 18, 2026, and charged in the slaying, according to News 12. Officials have not released detailed information about what led to the arrest, and the motive remains under investigation.
Scene and timeline
Police say the shooting happened at about 1:30 p.m. on April 17, 2025, inside Deli Grocery Corp., at 3724 Bronxwood Ave. Emergency crews rushed King to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, where he was pronounced dead, according to earlier coverage of the fatal deli shooting.
Video and family reaction
Surveillance footage obtained by News 12 shows paramedics wheeling King out of the store, as well as a person running from the deli, briefly reentering, then fleeing. King’s relatives said he had gone to the store just to buy groceries. His aunt told the outlet, “We want justice for my nephew. He was only 20 years old. He did not deserve this.”
Calls for store safety
The Williamsbridge killing was one of several violent incidents inside Bronx bodegas last spring that put a harsh spotlight on safety for both workers and customers. United Bodegas Workers and other advocates have pushed for panic buttons and direct NYPD integration after similar attacks, and critics argue a small pilot program has not gone far enough, according to reporting by AOL.
Investigators are still asking for the public’s help. Anyone with information is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website, as noted by amNewYork.
