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UPDATE: 31-Year-Old Murdered In Red Hook Art Gallery
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 11, 2011
Modified Jan 11, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 11, 2011
Modified Jan 11, 2011
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Photo by Georgia Kral/Carroll Gardens Patch
[UPDATED BELOW] An artist was shot and killed in Red Hook yesterday evening around 5:45 p.m., found with one bullet to the head and one to the chest, according to police. The NY Post reports that "he was gunned down inside the ground-floor apartment on Summit Street near Hamilton Avenue... the victim used the apartment as both a studio and living space." Neighbors say the entire block is filled with creative types, and none of them heard a gun shot. Police haven't released the name of the victim yet.
UPDATE:The Daily News is now reporting that the man was shot at a New Age art gallery, the Lotus Temple of Visions Gallery, where he was watching television at the time. The gallery also serves as a crash pad for traveling artists. There were no signs of a forced entry, and police believe he may have known the killer. A neighbor told the paper, "There's all kinds of people coming in and out," but "nothing like this has ever happened over here."
UPDATE II:Carroll Gardens Patch reports that the victim was 31-year-old Tajeme Sylvester. This afternoon his sister Najila was outside of the gallery, and said she "came to see [where it happened]. I still can't believe it." She says her brother lived in Bed-Stuy, but was doing renovations at the Red Hook space, and he "knew the guy who lived there."
Sylvester's Facebook wall is already filling up with messages from those who knew him—all in response to his last status update, which read, in part: "full of wanderlust for life and living." The NY Post is also confirming that the victim was Sylvester, a native of Jamaica and a Fordham University graduate. They report that the owner of the gallery was out of town, and Sylvester was staying there while working on the space.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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