Edeedson Cine.Credit : gofundme

On Friday, Dec. 26, the Suffolk County Police Department shared in a press release that First Precinct officers responded to reports of an incident that occurred at a CVS located at 20 East Montauk Highway around 6:50 p.m. local time on Thursday, Dec. 25. Upon arrival, officers found an employee of the store, later identified as Cine, 23, with a stab wound to his chest.

Cine was then transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where he was pronounced dead.

Following Cine’s tragic death, his father, Edeedson Cine Sr., told the New York Post that his son wasn’t originally scheduled to work on Christmas. Rather, he had stepped in at the last minute to cover for one of his co-workers.

Edeedson Cine as a young child.gofundme

“My son normally helps out,” Cine Sr. told the outlet on Saturday, Dec. 27. “He was the kind of person who would step in front of a bullet for anyone. He would volunteer for the tough assignments. He was simple, and I loved that about my son.”

“He was always willing to help,” he continued. “If he can make things better for you, he will.”

Indeed, the young employee had spent the morning helping his family prepare for their holiday celebrations before heading out for his shift.

“We have a very tight family. We are very close. We do a lot together. He was loved and he loved also,” Cine Sr. explained. “He said, ‘I’ll wash the dishes before I go to work,’ which stays with me because it’s just something we needed someone to do. And then he kissed me and left … He left for work and he unfortunately didn’t make it home.”

In a GoFundMe created by Vanessa Cine to “honor Eddy’s memory and to support his father during this time of profound grief,” the late CVS employee was also described as a “remarkable young man” with a “fierce heart for service.”

While the suspect fled the scene at the time of the incident, a 43-year-old resident of Lindenhurst, N.Y., named John Pilaccio, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder relating to the death of Cine hours later, police said in a statement to The New York Times.

Police also confirmed that they had received surveillance video from inside the store. However, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina explained that it was not clear what led up to the stabbing or what the possible motive might have been.

“I want to say on behalf of the Suffolk County Police Department, our hearts go out to his family, and his loved ones, and we’re going to do everything in our power to arrest the individual responsible for this heinous crime,” Catalina said, per CBS News. “It appears this poor kid went to work on Christmas, and he was assaulted while he was working behind the counter in the store.”

CVS located at 20 East Montauk Highway.google maps

“Based on the person of interest and his background, I can only assume he was in the store for nefarious reasons, and it’s possible their confrontation was a result of that,” he added.

CVS also issued a statement and offered counseling and support services to all store colleagues following the “senseless tragedy.”

“We’re devastated over the tragic stabbing that occurred inside our East Montauk Highway store on Christmas night,” the statement read, per CBS News. “Edeedson Cine was a valued member of the store team, known for his strong work ethic. During his 10 months with CVS, he was a hard-working and dedicated employee, and his loss will be felt by all of us.”