An MTA bus driver shot inside a Queens burger joint was an innocent bystander on a date killed in a botched gang hit, according to police sources and his heartbroken father.
Demetri McKay Jr., 29, was taking his girlfriend out on the town when he was shot, the bullet passing through his arm and into his chest and heart at Hangar 11 Burgers & Brews in Kew Gardens at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
“My son had such a big heart. And they shot my son in his heart,” the victim’s father, Demetri McKay Sr., told the Daily News Thursday through tears.
“If they would’ve gotten to know my son, they would’ve loved him too — because everybody loved my son.”
Two masked men entered the restaurant on Metropolitan Ave. near Lefferts Blvd. to shoot an adversary in what investigators believe was a gang-related beef but instead hit McKay Jr., an unintended target, police sources said Thursday.
McKay Jr. had no criminal history, police say.
“We’re devastated. I’m numb. I’m totally crushed. I’m thinking about my son. I can’t stop. I can’t even sleep. I can’t eat,” said his father, who is a church deacon.
“I wish nobody got shot. Even if they came to target [someone else] I wouldn’t even want anybody else shot. I don’t believe in violence.”
A Queens Village native and father to an 8-year-old boy, McKay Jr. previously worked with the disabled at a nonprofit organization located nearby the restaurant where he was shot, his father said.
“He was familiar with the place,” the victim’s father said. “His co-workers always said it was always a decent place. It’s not like it was a rowdy place.”
The father described his son as a homebody, noting it was unusual for him to even be out at night.
“My son was family-oriented. He didn’t hang out in the streets. He didn’t care for that,” said McKay Sr. “He just happened to go on a date with his girlfriend. He took her there because it was safe. He was familiar with the area.”
On Wednesday the NYPD released surveillance footage of the two suspects inside the restaurant and asked the public’s help identifying them and tracking them down.
One suspect wore a dark-colored hoodie with the word “Love” emblazoned across the chest in large letters. No arrests have been made.
“My son is gone, and even if they catch [the suspects], it’s not going to bring my son back,” the father said.
“When I saw the video of them it looked like they’re young kids. Even if they go to prison, I’m praying for them,” he added. “I don’t know their circumstances. I don’t know their homes. My heart goes out for them, because I don’t know what they’ve been through in their life. I want them to get rehabilitation, not just prison.”
McKay Jr., who began working as an MTA bus driver in 2024, drove the Q2, which runs from Jamaica to the Belmont Park Racetrack.
“He drove the bus in his neighborhood. He loved his job. Everybody on his job, they loved my son,” his father said. “He was a young man, 29, he was just really starting off his career. I was so proud of him. He’s a go-getter.”
While training for the job, McKay Jr. met his girlfriend, who also works for the MTA, his father said.
McKay Jr. still lived with his parents in the house he grew up in.
“He was the greatest. He was an angel on Earth,” said McKay Jr.’s mother, who declined to share her name. “Everybody has great things to say about him. Never in trouble. Best in school. He was always the best in everything.”
McKay Sr. described his son as a loving person who had a knack for taking care of everyone around him.
“He looked out for all of us. He came to our needs, sent us personal texts to cheer us up,” the father said. “He was a great listener. And I’m his dad. Even when I’m going through something, he’ll just sit on my steps and he’ll talk to me. He’s almost like a counselor. A really beautiful person.”
McKay Jr., who stood 6-foot-2, enjoyed playing basketball and working out in his free time. He would have turned 30 in August.
“He had a lot of silliness about him. He loved to make you laugh, make you smile. He did silly dances. He’d make his mother laugh,” McKay Sr. said, adding that his son was a true “mama’s boy,” as the youngest child in the family.
“He said ‘Mom, Dad, I’m gonna take care of you guys when you get old,’” McKay Sr. recalled. “That’s what he wanted to do. He was really a family man.”
McKay Sr. said he worries now about his grandson, who has to grow up without a father.
“He understands, but you know he’s 8 years old and he’s very sad about it,” he said. “He may not even believe it.”
“I’m just trying to stay strong for my wife and children,” the father added. “This is a heartbreaker. It’s a nightmare. I’m still waiting to wake up.”
