A 35-year-old man visiting his 8-year-old son in the Farragut Houses in Brooklyn was shot dead in the hallway of the building on Monday afternoon for no apparent reason, police say.
The victim, identified by police as James Suggs, of 233 Sands Street, was shot in the face at point-blank-range at about 3:30 p.m. inside of 191 Sands Street, police say. He was rushed to Brooklyn Hospital, where police say he was pronounced dead.
The NYPD has not yet identified the victim, pending family notification.
Police from the 84th Precinct and PSA 3, who patrols the NYCHA housing projects, fanned out through the neighborhood, but have not yet apprehended the suspect. Detectives were going through video surveillance to identify the suspect.
His long time friend Anthony Rodriguez said he knew the victim by his street name “Shug,” and said he lived in the community all of his life. He said the victim drove a truck cross country and rarely lived in the area, but has an 8-year-old son he was visiting.
“He was a really nice guy. I don’t know why anyone would do this to him,” Rodriguez said. “There are just too many people here with guns.”
Residents were also shocked by the shooting, the last one a teen was shot dead on Gold Street several months earlier.
“It’s been so quiet here, I just don’t know what to think now,” said one young mother who was wheeling a child in a carriage. “I thought things were getting better.”
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are kept strictly confidential.
