A Big Apple deli worker gunned down outside his family’s bodega after a late-night scuffle with a known menace had tragically begged his brother to take care of his kids as he bled to death in his arms.

Father of two Abdul Saleh, 28, uttered the final heartbreaking words to his sibling just moments after he took a bullet outside Sal’s Deli and Grocery in East Village late Saturday night, a grieving relative told The Post.

“Before he died, he said, ‘Just take care of my kids,’” Saleh’s heartbroken cousin, Basam Hussain, said.

Abdul Saleh, wearing a patterned shirt and backwards cap, being interviewed by an ABC reporter in front of a refrigerator stocked with beverages.
Abdul Saleh, a worker at Sal’s Deli and Grocery in Alphabet City, was gunned down on Saturday night.WABC
“That’s what he tell him, ‘Just take care of my kids.’”

He had met his son for the first time on that trip.

Then, 24 hours after touching back down in the US, Saleh was gunned down.

Abdul Saleh
Saleh begged his brother to care for his two small children in the moments before he died.Courtesy
He had been working a shift at the family-run store when the alleged gunman, Kavone Horton, 28 — who had previously stolen from the store and harassed workers there — came in at about 11:30 p.m.

The problem patron allegedly opened fire after an argument spilled out onto the street, cops said.

A man walks past a makeshift memorial of candles and flowers outside Sal's Deli & Grocery.
A memorial for Abdul Saleh outside Sal’s Deli and Grocery in Manhattan on April 27, 2026.James Keivom for NY Post
Saleh suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

The alleged gunman was wounded, too, when one of his bullets ricocheted and struck him, police sources said.

Mia Safanda and Vito DiTomaso placing signs and photos at a memorial outside Sal’s Deli & Grocery.
Mia Safanda (right) and Vito DiTomaso placing a sign and photos of Saleh at the memorial.James Keivom for NY Post

A person's hand places flowers, a stuffed animal, and a handwritten note at a makeshift memorial of lit candles and flowers.
A loved one of Saleh placing flowers at the memorial.James Keivom for NY Post
The horror slaying unfolded after workers at the deli had already filed a slew of police reports about the suspect’s history of menacing behavior, the victim’s cousin said.

“He’d want stuff for free,” Hussain claimed. “Take, grab, and go, and always try to fight with them.”

Horton has since been charged with murder, manslaughter and weapons possession.