Three people were killed and eight others injured on Sunday morning as multiple gunmen opened fire inside a New York restaurant. The incident took place at the Taste of the City Lounge eatery in Brooklyn around closing time. The New York Police Department has since launched an investigation, and efforts remain underway to identify the suspects. Officials elieve the violence to be gang-related.
Officers responded to a shooting call in the Crown Heights neighborhood just before 3:30 am on Sunday. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch explained during a press briefing that three men had been killed while nine others were transported to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Details have not been shared about their condition. The deceased ranged in age from 19 to 61 years old.
The police have recovered at least 42 shell casings from the attack site as well as one of the weapons. Visuals shared online showed officials standing amidst a pool of blood and broken glass at the eatery.
The crime is the second mass shooting within weeks in New York City during a year that has otherwise seen declining gun violence. A man had stalked through a Manhattan office tower with a rifle on July 29 — wounding one person and killing four others. A New York City police officer was among those who died. Tisch also dubbed the latest incident a “a tragic, senseless act of violence.”
Investigators believe that up to four shooters opened fire at Taste of the City Lounge after a dispute. Mayor Eric Adams said crisis management teams had been mobilized to provide trauma services and facilitate mediation efforts with the victims’ friends and families to try to stop any retaliation. He also asked members of the public who might have information about the shooting to help investigators by calling NYPD’s crime stoppers line at 800-577-TIPS.
“If you were inside the club, if you heard individuals talking about this shooting, if you witnessed someone fleeing the location, every piece of information will allow us to put the puzzle together,” Adams said.
(with inputs from agencies)