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Just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, life support was turned off for Vyacheslav Shaknmurov, known as Steve at B&A Barber Shop in New Rochelle, said the shop's manager and his close friend, Alex Ribiev.
The incident which ultimately took Shaknmurov's life, happened at 7:02 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 14, while he was crossing Main Street near Stephenson Boulevard, said New Rochelle Police Capt. Cosmo Costa.
Shaknmurov was struck first by a vehicle traveling eastbound, then struck by a second vehicle traveling westbound, Costa said.
He was transported to Jacobi Medical Center with critical injuries and placed on life support, police said.
Shaknmurov had been cutting hair at the shop for the past three to four months and was working hard to build a customer base, Ribiev said.
"The customers just loved him, he so enjoyed telling them about the TV shows he loved to watch and about his family," he said.
It's been hard at the shop for the past week because, Ribiev said, in the Russian Jewish community the entire community grieves along with you and everyone is talking about the tragedy.
"He had such a big heart and truly loved his sisters, parents, and family," Ribiev said. "It's sad that someone can take a life in a second while driving because they weren't paying attention."
Ribiev said he has been struggling through the days with a "heavy heart" and such sadness when he thinks about what happened to a man so "full of life. How could they not see a 200 pound, 6-foot guy?"
All of the barber shop employees live in the same neighborhood in Queens and always carpool to work in New Rochelle.
"For the past 15 years we have all walked across that street to our car," he said. "It's just unbelievable that his life is gone. People need to be careful when they are driving. It's a life that was taken."
A memorial service will be held in Forest Hills on Thursday for Shaknmurov, who will be buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Queens.
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