Gyimah had completed a trip in a yellow cab minivan in the Rockaway Beach area around 6:30 a.m. Saturday when his passengers allegedly tried to rob him after reaching their destination, police said. The taxi driver tried to chase the passengers away and was hit by at least one of them, causing Gyimah to fall and hit his head on the ground and lose consciousness, police said. When officers responded to a call of an assault in progress, they found Gyimah lying in the street with a gash to the back of his head, police said. Gyimah was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. “I have no words to describe him,” the victim’s widow Abby Giama told CNN affiliate WABC at a news conference Sunday. “He was a good man. He was a good, good man.” The investigation is still ongoing and no arrests had been made as of Saturday afternoon, according to police. Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the New York State Taxi Drivers Association, also spoke at Sunday’s press conference. “It was probably his first fare of the day. He was probably the first person he got and guess what – he was the last person he got,” Matteo said. “Because his life was taken. For what? For money?” The Federation of Taxi Drivers is offering a $15,000 reward leading to the conviction of the suspects, Matteo told CNN. So far, Mateo said the federation has raised $10,000 on top of the $69,000 raised on the verified GoFundMe page set up to help Gyimah’s family with funeral and living expenses. “It was a horrible crime,” Matteo told CNN on Sunday. “We lost an amazing man.” Mateo said he hopes to raise enough money to start a college scholarship fund for the victim’s four children, who he says are ages 3, 5, 7 and 8. NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell encouraged people to come forward with tips to help catch the perpetrators of the “horse” attack in a tweet on Saturday. “As his loved ones mourn, Kutin is in the thoughts of NYPD detectives who are working hard to catch those responsible,” Sewell said. NYPD CrimeStoppers is also offering a reward, according to police. CrimeStoppers is offering up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment. In a statement, City Hall said the tragedy was “not only devastating, but unacceptable.” “Violence will not be tolerated in our city, which is why we work every day to get violent criminals off our streets. Our deepest condolences go out to the victim’s family, friends and colleagues during this painful time and we will work diligently to bring all those responsible to justice,” the announcement states.
