Smoke shop worker fatally shot during armed robbery in Queens

QUEENS - Gunshots were fired inside ‘The Plug’ smoke shop, in Richmond Hill, Queens, on Saturday afternoon. 

Police say three men ran into the corner store on Jamaica Avenue and 110th Avenue just after 12 p.m. 

While inside, one of the thieves shot and killed a 20-year-old smoke shop worker.

Surveillance video from a nearby store captured the three men entering the store wearing hoodies. Minutes later, after the shots were fired, the men come running out. 

According to officials, the thieves got away with $100 cash and $50 worth of tobacco and THC products.

All three men hopped into a waiting white Toyota Camry and sped off.

Since 2022, the NYPD has been on high alert as smoke shops have become a major target for robberies. 

Last month, a 42-year-old man was shot and killed outside a smoke shop on 125th street in Harlem.  Days earlier, two men robbed a smoke shop in Gravesend, Brooklyn punched an employee multiple. 

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers at any of the following:

1-800-577-TIPS (8477)