Bronx auto factory employee murdered by couple who tried to steal car

A Bronx auto factory worker was shot dead in front of his brother after he collided with a man and a woman who tried to tow his brother’s car and steal it, police said Wednesday.

Aboubacar Toure, 34, died Thursday after an escalating physical assault at an auto repair shop he ran on E. 167th St. and Park Ave. in Morrisania, police said.

“They killed my brother!” Toure’s distraught brother, who witnessed the shooting, told the Daily News before breaking down in tears.

“He’s a nice guy and fixed everyone’s cars. A very, very nice guy. Always trying to help people — he was very caring.”

Toure was working at his 65 Familia Auto Electric around 5pm on Thursday when his Nissan Sentra tow truck showed up.

“He bought it, repaired the transmission and was trying to resell it,” said the brother, who asked not to use his name for fear of retribution.

As Nasarik Espinosa, who was later arrested on murder charges, was trying to drive away a tow truck, a woman jumped out of a Toyota Camry parked nearby and started an altercation with him, a NYPD spokesman said. .

The shady couple hailed a tow truck claiming the Sentra was theirs and needed to be moved, police sources said.

As the argument escalated, Espinosa “engaged in a physical confrontation with Abubacar Toure, including grabbing, punching and pushing,” according to the criminal complaint.

At one point, Toure called his brother who rushed to the scene.

“He was arguing with them not to tow the car,” said the brother.

According to court documents, Espinosa returned to his car, retrieved the gun, and opened fire on the person with him.

“I called 911 on the phone,” said the brother. “I was on the phone. I was on the phone. They shot me right in front of me. [Toure] I was lying down and screaming. A nearby police officer ran up to him and attempted CPR.After the ambulance arrived, they [him]I tried to find out what happened – they said he died.

Toure was shot in the hip and the bullet hit an artery. He was confirmed dead at Lincoln Hospital.

The car thief jumped in the Camry and slowed down.

However, their getaway was caught on surveillance cameras, and the make, model and license plate of the car were sent to nearby police.

The next day, New York State Troopers and Westchester Police found the car in Yonkers, and Espinosa was taken into custody without incident.

He was charged with murder, manslaughter, burglary, and possession of a loaded gun. However, according to court documents, the accomplice with whom he fired the gun is on the run.

A Bronx Criminal Court judge ordered Espinosa to be held without bail during a brief arraignment on Sunday.

According to the victim’s brother, Toure spent most of his time at work, taking breaks only for Saturday barbecues at the auto shop during the summer.

“He came ten years ago [from] Ivory Coast,” said the brother. “A better opportunity. Coming to New York was a dream.

Touré was married with two children in Harlem and had one in Ivory Coast.

“This area isn’t the first time they’ve stolen from us,” Toure’s brother said.

The brothers said this was the fifth car stolen, including a Mercedes-Benz that was robbed in November 2021. The brothers also said that someone had tried to tow the vehicle illegally in the past, but the robbery attempt was unsuccessful.

with Rocco Parascandola