Two suspects sought in Crown Heights hookah lounge shooting

A mass shooting at a Crown Heights hookah lounge left three men dead and 11 injured as police search for two suspects and investigate a possible gang link.

Two suspects sought in Crown Heights hookah lounge shooting

Police said on Monday they are seeking two suspects in a mass shooting at Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Avenue and Carroll Street in Crown Heights that left three men dead and 11 others injured in the early hours of Sunday. Investigators recovered 42 shell casings from inside and outside the club and described the incident as possibly gang related. The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. and police have not announced any arrests.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said two of the dead, Jamel Childs and Marvin St. Louis, fired shots during the exchange of gunfire, and Amadou Diallo, a 27-year-old from Manhattan, was also killed. She noted that Childs had prior arrests and was listed in the NYPD gang database as a member of Folk Nation, while three other victims were linked to the same gang; St. Louis reportedly had no relevant criminal history. Police are identifying two additional suspects at large, and surveillance footage shows a brief exchange between Childs and St. Louis before the shooting.

Mayor Eric Adams said the city would deploy crisis management teams to prevent retaliation and urged residents to share information. Taste of the City Lounge said it is cooperating with investigators and offered condolences to those affected. Officials also pointed to a decline in shootings this year compared with 2024, noting a 21 percent drop in shootings and a 24 percent drop in homicides through August 10.

This incident underscores how gun violence can ripple through a neighborhood, testing trust in local institutions and shaping a city’s sense of safety. Framing the case around a gang link helps officials move quickly on suspects, but it also risks inflaming stereotypes and sidelining broader conversations about prevention and support for affected communities.

The case highlights the practical realities of policing in dense urban areas: surveillance footage, shell casings, and gang databases are tools that can narrow a suspect pool, yet they do not guarantee quick resolution or community reassurance. The city’s choice to deploy crisis teams signals a visible commitment to stability, but lasting safety will depend on sustained investments in prevention, credible information flows, and outreach to neighborhoods that bear the burden of violence.

Highlights

The city faces a long road from shock to lasting safety.