19-year-old cashier Kristal Bayron killed during armed robbery at East Harlem Burger King

By WCBS Staff

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A 19-year-old cashier was shot to death working at a Burger King in East Harlem.

Police said it happened during a robbery and now they’re asking for the public’s help to find the gunman.

As the rain trickled down Sunday, the family of Kristal Bayron Nieves gathered outside the Burger King where she was killed to lay flowers in her honor and to pray for justice.

Bayron Nieves’ mother, along with family members, were unable to contain their grief as they were comforted by members of the community.

“We are sick and tired of the violence in our community. When is enough going to be enough? When will we put the guns down?” NYPD Community Affairs Chaplain Robert Rice said.

Police have released images of the the robbery that took place just before 1 a.m. at the Burger King on East 116th Street near Lexington Avenue, where Bayron Nieves was working as a cashier when an unknown male, masked and dressed in all black, entered the restaurant and demanded money.

Police said Bayron Nieves was shot in the torso during the robbery.

Rice said the family is now in mourning.

“I was with the mother all night. I prayed with the family. They’re not doing well. This mother is crying out. This mother is hurting. Now she doesn’t know what to do,” Rice said.

Police said two other people were assaulted during the course of the robbery. A female manager at the restaurant was punched in the face and a male customer was likely pistol whipped. Both are expected to recover.

The violence has left neighbors shaken.

“More police officers and security guards all around the stores around here because people are dangerous. It’s starting to get more dangerous around here,” one person said.

“It’s really bad because you know we don’t feel security here. A lot of crime, a lot of things happen,” another added.

Meanwhile, family members told CBS2 that Bayron Nieves and her family had just moved to New York from Puerto Rico a few years ago and that the teenager had only been working at Burger King for the past few months.

The family is now pleading with the person responsible to turn themselves in.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral costs. Please click here for more information.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.

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