79-Year-Old Man Killed By Stray Bullet Outside Hudson Valley Deli

A 79-year-old man, a father of 12 and grandfather of 10, was killed when he was hit by a stray bullet outside a Hudson Valley deli.

New Rochelle Police responded to shots fired at 238 Union Avenue Saturday night. They found Manuel Ayala with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police are actively looking for the gunman. New Rochelle Police Detective Claudio Carpano told PIX11, that Ayala was “a sweetheart of a man, who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Ayala was sitting on a milk crate outside a deli when he was struck by a wild shot fired from 75 feet away. The owner of the store said the lone gunman fired two shots intended for three other man who were also standing in front of the shop.

"The shot wasn't for him," Daniel Ayala, Manuel's grandson told Pix11. "It was for three younger guys. He saved one person's life."

Ayala lived in Mexico but spent many months each year visiting family in the Hudson Valley.