Teenage boy charged over fatal stabbing of beloved pizza shop owner

Police have charged a 15-year-old boy over the death of a pizza shop owner who was fatally stabbed and “taken too soon”.

A teenager has been charged in relation to the stabbing death of a beloved pizza shop owner in Sydney’s western suburbs.

Sonmez Alagoz, 58, the owner of The Pizza Stop in Kingswood in western Sydney, was found with a stab wound to his chest about 10.20pm on Tuesday.

He was treated by paramedics before being transported to Westmead Hospital, which has a specialised trauma unit, but died of his injuries.

Pizza shop owner Sonmez Alagoz was stabbed at The Pizza Stop, near Kingswood train station. Picture: Supplied

A .15-year-old has been charged.

Following inquiries into Mr Alagoz’s death, six teenagers – two boys aged 15 and 17, two girls aged 13 and two men aged 18 and 19 – were arrested at homes in Werrington, Penrith and South Penrith.

The teenagers were taken to Penrith and St Marys police stations but were later released pending further inquiries.

About 1.10pm on Wednesday, NSW Police arrested a 15-year-old boy, who was charged with murder.

The teenager has been refused bail and is set to appear before a children’s court later on Thursday.

The beloved pizza shop owner is being remembered as a ‘great man’.

Locals were horrified by the news of Mr Alagoz’s death and paid tribute to the respected member of the community.

“He was a very good person,” a person wrote on social media.

Another said Mr Alagoz, who was born in Turkey, was a “great man taken too soon” who would frequently hand out free slices of pizza to customers before the shop closed for the night.

“Spent many evenings sitting at the front of his shop talking about life,” an online tribute read.

“He gave me a lot of great advice. Never judged anyone for what they were going through.

“Breaks my heart to see this happen to a loving family.”

NSW Police Superintendent Trent King said the incident was an ‘absolute tragedy’. Picture: 9News

NSW Police Superintendent Trent King said the incident was an “absolute tragedy”.

“It was a confronting scene for emergency responders, he had suffered a gruesome injury and required immediate assistance,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“This gentleman was very closely connected to this community for a very long time, including owning this business for over 14 years.

“This is an absolute tragedy, there’s no other way of describing it.”

Originally published as Teenage boy charged over fatal stabbing of beloved pizza shop owner