Brooklyn Hookah Bar MASSACRE

Handgun with ammunition, magazine, and rifle on wooden table.

A verbal dispute inside a packed Brooklyn hookah lounge erupted into a four-gunman massacre that left two of the shooters dead in their own crossfire, an innocent bystander killed, and eleven others bleeding on the floor amid 42 shell casings.

Story Snapshot

Four gunmen opened fire at Taste of the City Lounge in Crown Heights on August 17, 2025, killing three and injuring eleven in a gang-related shootout captured on video.
Two shooters died in the exchange: 19-year-old Marvin St. Louis and 35-year-old Jamel Childs, a suspected Folks Nations gang member, while 27-year-old Amadou Diallo perished as an innocent bystander.
Elijah Roy, a Five Nine Brims associate, faces federal charges for assault in aid of racketeering and felon-in-possession of ammunition as investigators hunt remaining suspects.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the 3:30 a.m. shooting an anomaly amid record-low citywide gun violence, yet residents note the venue’s history of inadequate security and prior shootings.

When Gang Rivalries Turn Hookah Lounges Into Warzones

Crown Heights residents woke August 17 to news that their Franklin Avenue intersection had become a killing field again. The Taste of the City Lounge, a late-night hookah bar that had already seen bloodshed the previous November, transformed into what witnesses called a warzone shortly after 3:30 a.m. A verbal argument between 19-year-old Marvin St. Louis and 35-year-old Jamel Childs, suspected of Folks Nations gang ties, escalated into gunfire. Two associates joined the fray, unleashing a barrage that left 42 shell casings from 9mm and .40 or .45 caliber weapons scattered across the floor alongside blood and panic.

Patrons scrambled for exits as bullets flew indiscriminately. St. Louis was declared dead at the scene. Childs and 27-year-old Amadou Diallo, a Harlem resident caught in the crossfire with no gang affiliation, succumbed to their injuries at hospitals. Eleven others, ranging in age from 19 to 61 and including women, survived with non-life-threatening wounds. The chaos captured on surveillance video revealed the horror: dozens packed into a space that lacked metal detectors or meaningful security, allowing multiple firearms inside without challenge.

Federal Charges and the Five Nine Brims Connection

Investigators identified Elijah Roy, linked to the Five Nine Brims subset of the Bloods, as a key suspect. Federal prosecutors charged him with assault in aid of racketeering and felon-in-possession of ammunition, leveraging statutes that carry severe penalties when gang activity drives violence. Court-released video footage showed the shooting’s chaotic seconds, bolstering the case that this was no random act but a calculated gang confrontation. Roy’s arraignment proceeded as NYPD sought the two remaining gunmen still at large, urging the public to come forward with tips.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch emphasized that roughly 60 percent of New York City shootings stem from gang disputes, though she framed this incident as an outlier. Citywide shooting victims numbered just 489 from January through July 2025, the lowest tally since 2017. Mayor Eric Adams echoed her messaging, appealing for community cooperation while acknowledging the lasting scars such violence inflicts. Yet residents questioned how officials could tout progress when a venue with a documented history of violence operated unchecked, allowing guns to slip past nonexistent security measures.

Security Failures and Predictable Tragedy

Local voices painted a damning picture of preventable carnage. Aykel Lewis and James Jones, neighbors who witnessed the aftermath, highlighted the lounge’s negligence in permitting weapons inside. Jones described the scene as unprecedented, with blood pooled across the floor and shell casings littering every corner. The venue’s failure to install metal detectors or hire adequate security staff enabled armed gang members to enter freely, turning a late-night gathering into a bloodbath. This wasn’t the first warning: a November shooting at the same intersection had already injured at least one person, signaling escalating danger authorities failed to address.

The political stakes loom large for Adams, who faces scrutiny during a mayoral race where crime narratives dominate. While he and Tisch trumpet declining shooting statistics, tragedies like this one expose gaps in enforcement and regulation. Hookah lounges across the city now face heightened scrutiny, with calls mounting to impose stricter security requirements or shut down venues with violent histories. The economic fallout could hit local businesses, but the social cost of inaction dwarfs any financial concern when innocent bystanders like Diallo pay with their lives for others’ gang feuds.

Gang Affiliation as Legal Aggravator

New York law treats gang-related violence harshly, elevating charges and stiffening bail for crimes tied to organized criminal activity. Roy’s federal indictment reflects this approach, with racketeering statutes designed to dismantle gang structures by holding participants accountable for collective violence. The Five Nine Brims versus Folks Nations rivalry that sparked this shooting underscores a broader pattern: Brooklyn gangs, despite citywide declines, continue to settle scores with firepower. Two shooters dying in their own crossfire reduced the immediate threat but left unanswered questions about how gang disputes can erupt so spectacularly in public spaces.

Community members now grapple with fear and frustration. Crown Heights, once deemed a beautiful neighborhood by residents, feels less safe when late-night venues invite violence through lax oversight. Families of the eleven injured face long recoveries, while the loved ones of St. Louis, Childs, and Diallo mourn losses that span the spectrum from gang participant to innocent victim. The investigation continues, with NYPD recovering at least one discarded weapon and analyzing surveillance footage to identify the two at-large shooters. Whether authorities close this case fully remains uncertain, but the scars on Crown Heights are already permanent.