Overkill

Harlem bodega clerk Jose Alba, who made international headlines in July 2022 after fatally stabbing a violent customer in a dispute over chips, is facing contradicting opinions about his self-defense claim. City lawyers argue that Alba went overboard during the life-and-death struggle, while Mayor Adams maintains that he was simply defending himself. The clash between these perspectives came to light in Manhattan federal court papers filed by the city’s lawyers seeking to have Alba’s wrongful arrest suit dismissed. According to the city’s lawyers, Alba’s arrest was reasonable because he allegedly acted as the aggressor in … Read more