Man, 31, fatally shot during Brooklyn album release party clash in Crown Heights: ‘This thing has to stop’
A 31-year-old man was fatally shot early Saturday during an album release party in a Brooklyn catering hall, police said.
Kameron Hall was in the Exquisite Event Space on Eastern Parkway near Atlantic Ave. in Crown Heights about 3:25 a.m. when he got into an argument with another man, witnesses told police.
As the dispute continued, the suspect pulled a gun and opened fire, hitting Hall in the chest.
“[It was] about three shots I heard,” neighbor Terry Julien told the Daily News. “It was fast.”
EMS rushed Hall, of East Flatbush, to Brookdale University Hospital, but he couldn’t be saved.
Guests were celebrating the release of a Caribbean musician’s newest release, a source with knowledge of the case said. The name of the performer was not immediately released.
The celebration included a mini-concert, the source said.
Neighbors said music is often heard coming from the event space, which has been open for about two years. But they said Friday night’s celebration reached decibels never heard before in the community.
“It was so loud last night,” recalled Julien, 60. “I made a report [to 311] saying that that music is too loud. It was disturbing me.”
The music stopped once the shots were fired, said Julien.
Despite his 311 call, the cops didn’t show up until after the shooting, he said. “This thing has to stop,” he said of the club.
Another neighbor heard partyers screaming at each other just before police arrived.
“I heard fussing from females and dudes,” said the neighbor, who wished not to be identified. “It sounded like a verbal dispute. You know, things like ‘F---k you!’”
Guests at other parties at the venue have fired off fireworks outside — so many in the neighborhood couldn’t tell if someone had been shot or partyers were setting off noisemakers.
“They been doing fireworks for the last couple of days still, so sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between fireworks and gunfire,” said an area resident who only identified herself as Miracle. “[This party] was longer than usual.”
The venue is often packed with revelers, Miracle said. “They’re always on the sidewalk, out, sitting out,” she said. “They sit out on the front. It spills out.”
Some neighbors said the shooting was the first they knew of at Exquisite Event Space. Neighbors also described workers and managers there as “nice” and “professional.”
The gunman ran off. No arrests were made.
When reached, a catering hall staffer said he didn’t know exactly what happened. His colleagues were working with detectives and sharing video, the staffer said.
The building owner, who asked not to be named out of fear for his safety, was stunned by the loss of life.
“Somebody’s dead for no reason. I don’t know what happened,” the property owner said. “Someone lost their son. I don’t want this going on in the neighborhood.”
