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More Details On Red Hook Murder Victim
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 12, 2011
Modified Jan 12, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 12, 2011
Modified Jan 12, 2011
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The 31-year old man shot and killed at Red Hook's Lotus Temple of Visions gallery on Monday was there helping with renovations, and according to reports he was a master carpenter. Born in Jamaica, Tajeme Sylvester was raised in Brooklyn; a graduate of both Brooklyn Tech H.S. and Fordham University. He was crashing at the gallery while he worked on it, and the owner (who calls himself a "space age herbalist") was out of town. According to the Daily News, neighbors heard gunshots just before 6 p.m., and police found him with one shot to the head and one to the chest.
The victim's sister, Najla, says, "I don't know what to make of it. I can't picture anybody wanting to murder my brother. This is the last thing I ever expected to hear. He's not that type. I've never heard of him being into any stuff like this." She described him as upbeat and smart.
Investigators believe Sylvester knew his killer—there was no sign of forced entry or struggle. An employee of nearby Woofs n' Whiskers told the Brooklyn Paper, “I haven’t seen any art there, but I have seen some kids hang out and smoke weed outside. It’s always been pretty quiet.” A quote that allegedly prompted the paper to dub the gallery as "psychedelic" in its headline.
Tagged
art
brooklyn
gallery
murder
red hook
Tajeme Sylvester
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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