Man found dead with head trauma at Brooklyn site where supportive housing is located, police say

Detectives in Brooklyn have launched a murder investigation into the death of a man in his 40s who was found with blunt force trauma to the head on Monday morning inside a DUMBO apartment building that is majority supportive housing.

Officers from the 84th Precinct responded at approximately 5:52 a.m. on Aug. 25 to a 911 call reporting an unconscious and unresponsive man inside an apartment at 90 Sands St., finding the victim with trauma to the head. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is conducting a post-mortem examination to determine the official cause of death, police said.

Authorities said the victim has not yet been identified, and there are no suspects or persons of interest at this time.

Police sources indicated that no weapon was recovered at the scene and that the 911 call may have been made by a building security guard who discovered the man. It is unclear whether he was a resident of the building.

The Sands Street location, a former Jehovah’s Witnesses hotel, was converted into a 30-story supportive and affordable housing development by the nonprofit Breaking Ground, which operates hundreds of such units across the city.

Opened on Nov. 3, 2022, the building houses 305 supportive units for formerly homeless individuals and 185 affordable apartments for low- and moderate-income residents. Amenities include a 24-hour attended lobby, security cameras, fitness center, multipurpose community room, and bike storage.

Breaking Ground did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said they could not comment on an ongoing investigation.

The Aug. 25 incident marks the third homicide reported in the 84th Precinct this year.