A man shot dead by a fellow panhandler in a clash over holding the door at a Hell’s Kitchen 7-Eleven was a father of three who had only recently fallen on hard times, his heartbroken family says.
Mark Jackson was known to regularly hold open the door for change at the 7-Eleven at Eighth Ave. and W. 39th St., according to locals. When a fight over turf broke out between Jackson, 43, and a rival panhandler about 10:25 a.m. Feb. 12, his rival pulled a gun and fatally shot him in the neck inside the store.
“He was trying to rebuild his life. Sometimes that in and of itself can be a struggle,” the victim’s 44-year-old brother said. “He’s just a guy who fell on hard times. A relationship didn’t work out and he was trying to find his way.”
Jackson had been homeless off and on for only about a year before being slain, his family says. After Jackson and his girlfriend split up, he moved out of their Bronx apartment and began sleeping in city shelters and on friends’ couches.
His brother suspected the heartbreak weighed heavily on Jackson.
“Because of things he had been through in previous relationships, he probably wouldn’t have told me that he cared that much about that woman but I think he did,” he said. “I think he wasn’t expecting that situation not to work out.”
Jackson held a number of jobs through the years in construction and in warehouses. His last gig was delivering groceries for Whole Foods, the brother said.
“He took a job that didn’t work out, took another job that didn’t work out,” the brother said. “All of the sudden he finds himself by himself.”
That apparently led Jackson to resort to holding the door at the 7-Eleven for spare change. But that was a coveted position and panhandlers warred over control of the spot, customers told the Daily News.
One regular shopper stumbled upon the scene of the shooting.
“I opened the door and stepped in and inside of two seconds I heard an argument,” the customer, who wished not to be named, told the Daily News. “I heard ‘P–sy! P–sy!’ and then a bang and I turned on my heels and walked out.”
Jackson died at the scene. His killer has not been caught.
The brother said he encouraged Jackson to leave New York and even offered to let the victim come stay with him in Pennsylvania but Jackson was adamant about staying in the city, having been born and raised in the Bronx.
“We tried to do what we could but he really could be a little stubborn. You can make suggestions but he’s going to do what he wants to do,” said the brother.
“I just wanted to make sure that he was safe. I told him, ‘Be careful of the people you’re around. Not everybody is your friend, and some people, they don’t have your best interest at heart. You got to be careful. You really have to be careful.’”
The victim’s brother called the gunman, who remains on the lam, a coward.
“He didn’t need to kill Mark,” he said. “Whatever level of conflict they thought they had or he thought that he couldn’t resolve, it didn’t need to escalate to where it did. Mark wasn’t going to harm him, not in the way that he harmed my brother.”
Jackson leaves behind two sons, a daughter, two brothers and a sister. His brother described Jackson as “a little mischievous and silly and funny.”
“We grew up together. He was super likable. Everybody liked Mark,” the brother added. “This is a blow to our family. No one was expecting anything like this to happen to him. We all thought — at least I thought — I had more time.”
The loss has been particularly hard on the victim’s 24-year-old daughter, who calls Jackson her “hero” and “the greatest dad a girl can ask for.”
“My dad was a wonderful person and he helped me with so much,” the daughter told The News. “He made me feel like I can do anything and gave me strength when he didn’t have it. He treated everyone with respect and he didn’t deserve what happened to him. I need justice!”
Despite his hardships, Jackson “never gave up and put on a brave face,” his daughter said.
He always kept an “upbeat attitude” and got along with most everyone he crossed paths with, his brother added.
“He didn’t have any enemies, that I knew of anyway,” he said.
In his spare time Jackson enjoyed rooting for the Knicks, working out and writing hip hop music.
Police last week released clear surveillance footage of the suspect and asked the public’s help identifying him and tracking him down.
The brother said he has faith that someone somewhere will recognize him.
“There’s too much gun violence in New York. It’s absolutely ridiculous. This shouldn’t have happened,” the sibling said. “[The suspect] knew to run, so he knows right from wrong. And he still chose to do what he did.”
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
