An argument over a soccer game in The Bronx turned deadly when a player was fatally shot as he returned home, police said yesterday.
Besnik Qelia, 27, of Bolton Street, had been arguing with another man during the game – in which Qelia had played – on Saturday afternoon.
A few hours later, the Albanian immigrant was leaving a friend’s house for home when the killer walked up to him at about 10:30 p.m. and fired one shot into his chest, witnesses told police.
“Guys around here play soccer all the time. This is the first time it went this far,” said a friend who identified himself only as Jimmy and who lives in the same building as the victim.
“It’s just shocking . . . It’s like losing a brother.”
Neighbors said Qelia worked in construction.
He and his 19-year-old brother had been in the country for two years.