The American dreams of a hardworking Egyptian immigrant who labored seven days a week to bring his betrothed to the United States were shattered when two thugs shot him to death as they robbed his Queens bodega, police and relatives said yesterday.
Ishak Ghalia, 26, who lived on the third floor above his Ridgewood bodega so he could work 19-hour days, was shot dead at 6 p.m. Thursday, cops said.
Two men wearing hoodies were seen exiting the Onderdonk Avenue bodega and walking toward Gates Avenue, and responding police found the cash register open and empty, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said yesterday.
HEINOUS: Cops swarm the Queens bodega (below) where owner Ishak Ghalia (above) was killed Thursday.
Christopher Sadowski
Heartbroken friends and relatives built a memorial shrine in front of the Coptic Orthodox church where he prayed.
Friends and relatives said Ghalia was planning a trip to Egypt to meet a woman he would later wed through an arranged marriage.
"He was going back to Egypt next month. He was going to get engaged and then married in six months. He was planning to bring his wife here. He had a good life here," said Antonyous Soliman, 29, who grew up in the same southern Egypt town as Ghalia.
"He was excited to be going back to see his family and getting married."
Ghalia's cousin, Agieby Abdelmalak, 18, said, "He wanted to wait for his citizenship before he got married so his wife would be a citizen, too."
Another grieving friend spoke of how hard Ghalia worked to send money home to his family and to prepare for his engagement and wedding.
"From seven years ago when he came here, he has been working. There was no time for fun. He worked seven days a week," said neighbor and friend Aziz Soliman, 30. "I spoke to him two days ago. He said 'I'm tired. Every day is working, working.' "
A customer discovered Ghalia's body behind the counter and called 911, law-enforcement sources said. There was no sign of a struggle, the sources said.
"The individual apparently was an extremely hardworking young man, 26 years of age, shot in the face," said Kelly. "It's a very, very sad story."
Last night, NYPD investigators were examining security video from a nearby Laundromat that showed a man running toward a subway station.
"We were shocked at the news that Ishak Ghalia was shot in the head for cigarettes and a few dollars. This was a very humble man who did not deserve to die," said Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the Bodega Association of the United States. "Killing bodega clerks for pennies is a senseless crime."
Cops said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. There is a $12,000 reward for info leading to a conviction.
jsaul@nypost.com
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