Two men slain in Sunday’s deadly Brooklyn mass shooting have been identified by detectives as the gunmen responsible for initiating the deadly chaos, police reported.
Marvin St. Louis, 19, and Jamel Childs, 35, apparently confronted each other inside Taste of the City restaurant at 903 Franklin Ave. in Crown Heights moments before the bullets started flying just before 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 17, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Citing video evidence at the scene, Tisch explained during an unrelated press conference on Staten Island Monday, St. Louis and Childs were spotted on video camera footage recorded inside the lounge speaking with one another about 10 minutes before the shooting. The nature of the conversation is not yet known.
“Later, Mr. St. Louis approached Mr. Childs and opened fire,” the commissioner said Monday. “Mr. Childs returned fire, and two other gunmen immediately joined.”
Brooklyn mass shooting’s ties to street gang
When it was over, no fewer than 42 shots had been fired in the mayhem, based on the number of shell casings found inside and outside the establishment. St. Louis was shot in the abdomen, and Childs had been shot multiple times about his body; both later died at Kings County Hospital.
While St. Louis had “no relevant criminal history,” Tisch noted that Childs — who had eight prior arrests — was a reputed member of Folk Nation, a street gang “that terrorizes Brooklyn and is responsible for at least a half-dozen shootings so far this year.”
Childs and three other victims were identified as Folk Nation members through the NYPD’s criminal gang database — a controversial log of known gang members that police officials say is essential to battling crime, but critics say contributes to discriminatory policing.
The third person killed in the shooting — Amadou Diallo, 27, who died at the scene after being shot multiple times — was caught in the hail of bullets.
Police had reported Sunday that 12 people had been wounded in the shooting, but the number of casualties grew by two overnight.
Mayor Eric Adams reported that a 13th victim, a male shot in the ankle, walked into Kings County Hospital seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to the ankle. The 14th victim, meanwhile, arrived at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital via private means, also seeking treatment for a non-lethal gunshot wound.
Both new victims are expected to survive, but the mayor said police will be talking to them about what they know.
“Hearing what these individuals have to say is going to be important,” Adams said.
The search continues for the other two shooters involved in the deadly mayhem, Tisch noted.
“The NYPD detectives are actively working to identify them,” she added, noting that police believe there were four shooters in total – including the deceased St. Louis and Childs.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting or the suspects’ whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
