Kristal Bayron-Nieves: Teen who was scared to work nights at Burger King shot dead by robber
HARLEM, NEW YORK CITY: Amid burgeoning crime rate in New York City, the fatal shooting of a teen cashier has left residents shell shocked. Kristal Bayron-Nieves, a 19-year-old girl who worked as a cashier at a Burger King joint in East Harlem, was fatally shot around 1 am on Sunday, January 9, 2022. The teen girl was killed by a masked gunman who took $100 from her, before shooting her in the torso. NYPD CrimeStoppers is circulating surveillance footage of the incident where the perpetrator can be clearly seen shooting at Kristal.
Shooting incidents across New York City have seen an alarming rise in the past few months, with new Mayor Eric Adams eyeing emergency measures to combat the shocking crime rates. Barely days before Kristal's shooting, an off-duty NYPD officer was shot in the head while he was resting in his car around 6 am in the morning. In December 2021, a horrifying video emerged where a gang of youth in East Flatbush were seen beating up a 67-year-old man with a hammer, openly in the streets.
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🚨WANTED for HOMICIDE: On 1/9 at 12:47 AM, during an armed robbery of a Burger King at 154 E116 St, the pictured perpetrator shot and killed a 19-year-old female employee. Do you have info about this case? Call us anonymously: 800-577-TIPS or go to the website in our bio. pic.twitter.com/xuXGUczgd8
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) January 9, 2022
Kristal had started the job barely three weeks ago before her death in December 2021. According to her mother, the teenager had previously expressed her fear to work night shifts due to prior unsafe incidents. However, her mother insisted that she do her job sincerely and urged her to work the late shift.
"Kristal said Friday, 'I don't want to go. I'm scared'. I say, 'You have to go and be responsible.' At 10 pm I wake her up to go and tell her, 'You have to go. You have to be responsible. You have to get a better life,'' Kristal's mother Kristie Nieves, 36, revealed. She also added that Kristal requested more security from the restaurant management and moved to the day shifts. "She is only 19, and she has more than 50 homeless people sleeping in front of the store," Kristie Nieves shared. The devastated mother is now overpowered with guilt for letting her go to work on January 9.
Reportedly, the masked gunman broke into the Burger King joint around 1 am and pistol-whipped a male customer at first. He also punched a female manager before approaching Kristal at the cashier's desk. The scared teenager handed $100 cash to the robber from the drawer and he turned to leave. However, a moment later the gunman turned around and fatally shot Kristal. He fled the scene soon after as the young girl was left battling for life. She was pronounced dead later at the local Metropolitan Hospital.
"She didn't deserve to be mowed down while working at a Burger King," a source from the police said.