The family of a Queens grandfather killed Monday by a stray bullet remembered him a generous, hardworking man – as they lashed out against city gun violence for “destroying families.”
Gabriella Alcindor said her dad William Alcindor pushed her to do great things but lamented the tragedy means he won’t get to see her succeed.
“An entire part of my identity is gone because of the way I looked up to my dad, the way he pushed me,” Gabriella Alcindor told The Post at a vigil in St. Albans for her 66-year-old dad, who was hit by a bullet as he drove through a busy intersection in the neighborhood.
“My dad has been telling me to go as high as I can since I was child,” the 25-year-old social worker and NYU graduate student said. “I remember having conversations with him constantly saying, ‘Go be a lawyer, go be a doctor, go be somebody. Work hard, go to school, focus.’”
But even as she realizes her own dreams, her biggest cheerleader won’t be there to see it.
Not when she graduates from NYU next year.
Not when she gets married, not when she has kids.
“I’ll never have the opportunity for him to be there for me in the hospital room giving birth, he’s never going to walk me down the aisle,” the grief-stricken daughter said through tears. “He’s not going to see me graduate.
“He’s not going to see me do anything. He’s the one who got me here, and he can’t even see it.”
Cops say William Alcindor was driving a 2014 Nissan on Baisley Boulevard — and was about to turn onto Farmers Boulevard — just before 5 p.m. on Monday when a bullet struck him in the head.
The mortally-wounded man lost control of the small SUV, which then slammed into a 23-year-old woman who was walking by, cops said.
Alcindor — who lived about 2 miles away in Cambria Heights — was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
The family said he’s survived by his 96-year-old mother, three children, three grandchildren and roughly 30 nieces and nephews.
The pedestrian was brought to the same hospital in stable condition, cops said.
“She’s getting better. She’s not out of the hospital yet, but she’s going to recover,” said Greogy Opont, Alcindor’s nephew. “No broken bones, but a lot of bruises. Thank God. Her mom was telling me she got sent flying by the car. Everybody that was there — wrong place, wrong time.”
Alcindor’s heartbroken family described the Haitian immigrant as a kind, hardworking, reserved man who came to America in 1983 and whose life revolved around his kids, his community and his work.
“He was dichotomous almost because my dad knew everyone — I mean everyone,” Gabriella said.
“He had that calm nature — he was a reliable person that you could always lean on for support or advice,” she continued. “He loved God. He loved his family. He really enjoyed working hard and earning.”
Opont, a 39-year-old DJ, said Alcindor was always working — putting in long hours his whole life so he could succeed in America.
But he always found time to throw his nieces and nephews a little cash for the ice cream truck when it rolled through, he recalled.
“We come from not having much, but he was always a giver,” Opont said. “He always gave us pretty much everything he had. It didn’t matter if it was five of us here, or 10 of us, he used to give us his last bit of money whenever he had money.
“He was a loving guy,” he continued. “It was a tough pill to swallow. We’re mostly in distress and disbelief. Everything still feels like it’s a dream … we cried all day. It’s still tough trying to figure out all of this — like why? Just kind of make it make sense.”
The NYPD released a photo of the suspected shooter Tuesday, describing him as a black-haired man with a medium complexion and slim build who weighs around 150 pounds.
He was last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants, white sneakers and a black surgical mask, cops said.
Investigators think the gunman was with at least two others.
His motive remains unclear, although police suspect the bullet wasn’t meant for Alcindor.
The family said detectives and prosecutors told them they have someone in custody, but offered few other details.
“They [need to] pay the full consequences of their actions,” Gabriella Alcindor said of the shooter. “The people or person who is responsible for my father’s death must reap the full amount of consequences there is for them to receive. And to be held accountable.”
Opont echoed her comments and said that if the shooter was a juvenile, as they suspect, he should be tried as an adult.
“We have to really prosecute because there’s no space for guns in this city,” Opont said. “There’s no space for people shooting in this city.
“Like recklessly shooting — that’s a busy intersection,” he continued. “Anybody could have been hit. You’re destroying families.”
But he said that even if the shooter is collared and convicted, it wouldn’t bring his beloved uncle back.
“Yes, it feels good to have some type of closure,” he said. “But it still leaves a void. You get what I’m saying? He was so pivotal in our family — it leaves a void.”