A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the stabbing death of a 19-year-old in 2020, officials said.
Mamadou Barry, 35, could spend the rest of his life behind bars for murdering Mamadou Bah, an immigrant from Senegal, who made a desperate plea for his mother during his dying breath.
After Barry stabbed the victim on Ocean Ave. in Prospect Park South on Feb. 18, 2020, Bah stumbled into the Gentlemen’s Quarters Salon barbershop on nearby Church Ave. and asked barbers and patrons to call his mother.
Someone inside called 911 before alerting Bah’s mother, who did not make it in time before her son died at Kings County Hospital.
“The life of Mamadou Bah was senselessly cut short at the hands of this defendant, whose horrific actions left an entire community devastated,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
“Hopefully, today’s lengthy sentence allows for some closure for the victim’s family and friends as they continue to grieve the young man’s tragic death.”
Barry was convicted of second-degree murder on Oct. 16. following a jury trial.
According to prosecutors, Barry and Bah, both immigrants from Senegal, were hanging out with friends when Barry, who goes by the nickname “Zion,” pulled out a knife and approached Bah. As Bah was backpedaling into the street, Barry plunged the knife into Bah’s chest, piercing his left lung and heart.
But Barry wasn’t done, officials said. Barry continued to chase his victim, who ran around the corner and stumbled into the barbershop.
“My stomach, my stomach,” he told the shop’s employees, according to his mother, Binta Bah.
He then lifted his jacket, and the workers realized he was bleeding. Bah was in such pain he didn’t realize he had been stabbed in his chest rather than his stomach, his mother said.
Months passed before Barry was arrested on Dec. 1, 2020, in Secaucus, N.J.
Police said they were able to identify Barry through surveillance footage, eyewitness statements and social media.
Friends and relatives said Bah was an aspiring basketball player who dreamed of playing professionally. The family came to the U.S. in 2014 from Africa to reunite with relatives, family members said. He lived for a while in Ohio before moving to New York City.