By FRANK ROSARIO and LARRY CELONA
May 22, 2008
A Staten Island liquor-store owner, admired for his solid ethics and devotion to his family, was gunned down last night by a hooded thug who shot him twice, grabbed the cash register and bolted.
Elgudzha Koyenishvila, 67, owner of Discount Wine & Liquors on Lincoln Road in Grant City, was shot at 8:15 p.m.
Police launched an air-and-ground manhunt for the heartless killer.
Neighbor Roxanne Ward said Koyenishvila's Ukrainian family has lived in the area for more than 15 years.
"He was always sociable and never sold illegally to the kids," she said.
A businessman at the Corner House restaurant added, "He was just a very kind, very quiet old man . . . It was probably just some thug who saw how frail he was and took advantage."
Ward said Koyenishvila proudly kept pictures of his children and grandchildren next to the cash register.
Another neighbor, Esther Geisler, told The Post the store had been targeted by robbers just a month ago.
Mark Fitzpatrick, who lives across the street, was horrified by the violence.
"It's very upsetting," he said.
"There's a real sense of community here. It's a real bad time in Grant City."
Additional reporting Erika Martinez
