Brooklyn Man Killed in Botched Robbery

An attempted robbery turned deadly when a man was shot in Flatbush just on the other side of the door from where his girlfriend and daughter stood waiting for him. Richard Neil was inches away from being let into the building where he was going to visit Sandra Budhai and their five-year-old daughter, Amami. Neil had been repeatedly telling the mugger that he didn't have any money until he finally pushed the attacker away. As Neil attempted to run away, the robber shot him in the torso, killing him. Police say Neil has been arrested four times for involvement with guns and drugs and was carrying marijuana at the time of the robbery, but did not know yet if the attack was drug-related. Neil volunteered three nights a week coaching a basketball team in a local park and lived with his mother a few blocks from the crime. He is survived by two daughters.