NYPD Fatally Shoot Teen in Crown Heights (Updates)

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Police shot and killed a Brooklyn teenager early Wednesday morning after he turned toward them with a gun in his hand, the NYPD said.

It was the second overnight NYPD killing in Brooklyn, after police also shot and killed a man in a Canarsie apartment on Tuesday whom police said was wielding a 13-inch knife.

The Crown Heights shooting took place at about 3:40 a.m. in the vicinity of 972 Atlantic Ave., the NYPD said.

Police said a sergeant and two officers, all in plainclothes, were patrolling the area when they heard gunfire near 990 Atlantic Ave., the location of the B-Hive Lounge.

After arriving, the officers saw 18-year-old Joshua Martino, who was armed, "firing into" the Lounge, the NYPD said.

When the officers got our of their vehicle and identified themselves, Martino fled, police said.

"The suspect turned on the officers with his gun in hand," the NYPD said, at which point two officers shot at him, striking him in the torso.

Martino was taken to Brooklyn Hospital and pronounced dead. The two officers were taken to another hospital for evaluation.

Police also released a photograph of the .38 caliber revolver (pictured above) they said Martino was armed with.

The teen lived in a Farragut Houses building at 111 Bridge St. in Dumbo, police said.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, the owner of the B-Hive Lounge, who asked not to be identified by name, said that she was currently in Atlanta, Georgia, but had been up all night speaking to reporters and watching surveillance footage from her bar. The footage did not show Martino being shot by police, she said, but did show him shooting into the bar, as police said he did.

The B-Hive Lounge is usually open until 4 a.m., but had closed at about 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the owner said.

When Martino showed up, about 15 people were still inside the establishment, including employees and event promoters, she said. Someone inside saw Martino pull out his gun, at which point everyone hit the floor, the owner said. No one was injured when he fired through the glass, she said.

The owner said her manager, who had been speaking to investigators all morning, was "shaken up" by the shooting. The owner said she's owned the B-Hive Lounge for nearly seven years, and that nothing like this had happened before.

"We have fights, but as far as anybody shooting, we've never had a shooting inside," she said.

She also expressed sympathy for Martino's family.

"Being a parent, I can't even imagine how his parents are going to feel about that," she said of his shooting.

Top image via NYPD