Records: Suspect in Copiague shooting opened fire after being called 'narco'

The Long Island man accused of fatally shooting two people and injuring two others Saturday night in a Copiague deli opened fire after customers accused him of being "narco," according to court documents.

Dionico Calderon-Oseguera, 62, confessed to the shooting, which police said occured at 6:10 p.m., shortly afterward, according to a felony complaint.

"I went to the La Vaquita deli and two guys at the bar accused me of being narco," Calderon-Oseguera, of Copiague, told Suffolk police Saturday, according to the court papers. "I took out my 9 mm and fired four shots. I don’t know if they died."

Suffolk prosecutors have charged Calderon-Oseguera with one count of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. The charges are expected to be upgraded after deli owner Boliva Rodriguez, 61, died Monday from injuries sustained in the shooting.

Officials said another victim of Saturday’s shooting, Manuel Cruz-Hernandez, 47, of Copiague, died at the scene. Calderon-Oseguera shot Cruz-Hernandez point-blank in the head, according to the complaint.

"This was a horrific, senseless act that resulted in the death of two victims … and put many other lives at risk," Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini said. "The evidence in this case is overwhelming and we will be seeking upgraded charges against this defendant."

A Suffolk County judge ordered Calderon-Oseguera held without bail during his arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip.

He is expected back in court on Friday. Calderon-Osegura's attorney, Ian Fitzgerald of Central Islip, said he has not yet seen any evidence supporting the charges against his client, who should be presumed innocent.

"What the district attorney says in arraignment may be different from what it can prove in court," Fitzgerald said.

Two other shooting victims, Juan Ramone Avilla Roque, 30, of North Amityville, and Daniel E. Acosta, 40, of Copiague, were transported to nearby hospitals with serious injuries, police said. Acosta was shot in the back and sustained a kidney injury, the complaint said. Avilla Roque was shot in the arm and the chest, according to the court papers.

Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, commanding officer of the Suffolk Homicide Squad, said police believe Rodriguez, shot in the head, was an unintended target.

"We believe he was an innocent victim," Beyrer said Saturday at the scene.

Rodriguez’s son, Oscar Rodriguez, called his father a hard-working, humble man who had owned the deli for 27 years and was eager to support his community.

"He cared for everybody. He helped anyone who needed help," Oscar Rodriguez said. "He treated strangers like family."

A GoFundMe page has been created to assist the Rodriguez family with expenses related to the shooting and Rodriguez’s death.

Oscar Rodriguez asked the public to pray for his father and his family.

"I’m sure he is in a better place," he said, "but a prayer is good for everybody right now."