In the early hours of Sunday, August 17th, a horrifying shooting unfolded at Taste of the City, a hookah lounge and restaurant in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Around 3:30 a.m., multiple gunmen opened fire inside the crowded venue, leaving three men dead and eight others wounded. The victims ranged in age from 27 to 61, with the slain men aged 27 and 35; the age of the third deceased has not been confirmed.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, speaking at a subsequent press briefing, confirmed that 36 shell casings have been recovered and that at least one weapon was found near the scene. Authorities have not yet identified or apprehended any suspects.
Taste of the City—a bright spot for American and Caribbean cuisine with a full bar, hookah offerings, and DJs—first opened its doors three years ago. Unfortunately, this weekend’s fatal violence marks its second shooting incident, the first being non-fatal back in November 2024.
Commissioner Tisch acknowledged the city’s relative progress this year, pointing out that New York City has seen its fewest shooting incidents and victims on record for the first seven months, but lamented that “it’s a terrible shooting. There’s no other way to describe it.”
This weekend’s massacre adds to a sobering tally: over 270 mass shootings have occurred across the U.S. so far in 2025, averaging more than one per day.
