A 30-year-old Nigerian fashion designer based in the United States, Sheriff Shittu, has been shot dead following an altercation with a drunk patron at a nightclub in Brooklyn.
Shittu was killed in the early hours of February 14 during a birthday celebration at Quilox Restaurant and Lounge in the East Flatbush area, according to local media reports.
Authorities said the incident occurred at about 4:25 a.m. when a suspected gunman, who was being escorted out of the club by security personnel, allegedly opened fire.
Witness accounts indicate the shooting followed a confrontation involving the intoxicated patron, who had caused a disturbance inside the lounge.
The suspect was reportedly behaving disorderly and allegedly inappropriately touched some female guests, including Shittu’s girlfriend, triggering a heated exchange.
Shittu attended the event with his younger brother, Fawaz Shittu, to celebrate a friend’s birthday.
Speaking to local media, Fawaz described the moment his brother was shot.
“I was screaming his name. I was trying to wake him up,” he said, adding that the situation escalated after the patron’s unruly behaviour inside the club.
Family members have called for justice while questioning security measures at the venue. Salem Shittu, another brother of the deceased, raised concerns over how the suspect was able to bring a firearm into the club.
“We don’t know how the security did not do the job and search properly before somebody could bring a gun into the club,” he said, noting that the suspect opened fire while being escorted out.
Police said the gunman fled the scene immediately after the shooting and remains at large.
Shittu was rushed to One Brooklyn Health–Brookdale University Hospital Medical Centre, where he was later pronounced dead.
Family members described him as an aspiring fashion designer striving to build a career in the United States before the tragic incident.
Authorities have launched a manhunt for the suspect, while investigations into the shooting are ongoing.
