New York police responded to reports of a shooting at the Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights at 3:27 a.m. on 17/8.
Law enforcement arrived within minutes as a panicked crowd poured out of the nightclub. "I saw several flashes where the gunshots rang out, then immediately ducked under a table and found my way out," a witness at the scene said.
 |
Police outside the nightclub where the shooting occurred. Photo: WCBS |
Police outside the nightclub where the shooting occurred. Photo: WCBS
Witness Rajawn Phillips said he saw crowds of people rushing outside and his 35-year-old friend died after being shot. "He came here to dance, have fun, relax, not to die," Phillips said.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooting killed 3 people aged 19 to 35. 9 injured people were taken to the hospital. Police recovered 42 shell casings and several guns.
Preliminary investigations suggest the shooting stemmed from an argument inside the crowded nightclub, believed to be gang-related. Police believe 4 gunmen were involved, but it's unclear whether they were among the dead or injured.
 |
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at the scene of the August 17 shooting at a nightclub in Brooklyn. Photo: AFP |
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at the scene of the August 17 shooting at a nightclub in Brooklyn. Photo: AFP
New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed concern that the shooting could spark retaliatory attacks. The city has mobilized community crisis response units.
"Gun violence of this magnitude really scars the community and the entire city," Adams said, emphasizing the goal of cracking down on guns.
New York police say 60% of shootings in the city are gang-related. This is the second mass shooting to occur recently in New York. In late July, a gunman stormed an office building in Manhattan and shot 4 people dead with a rifle.
So far this year, the US has recorded 275 mass shootings, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that tracks gun-related violence. By the organization's definition, a shooting is classified as a mass shooting when there are at least 4 casualties, not including the perpetrator.
Duc Trung (NBC News, AP)
