Four members of a Brooklyn-based Iranian punk rock band are dead after a band member shot and killed his three mates early Monday (Nov. 11) before turning the gun on himself. Allegedly, the gunman went into a violent rage after being kicked out of the band.
The unidentified gunman was part of the band, The Yellow Dogs, which was originated in Tehran back in 2006. The group took residence in Brooklyn’s East Williamsburg section, reportedly seeking asylum in the United States after leaving their country. The band made significant moves, playing at South By Southwest and several well-known venues in New York.
According to rapidly developing reports, the gunman began his assault shortly after midnight.
Police responded to calls of a man carrying an assault rifle at 318 Maujer Street and entered the building. They discovered Soroush Farazmand, 27, on the second floor with a gunshot to the chest. Ali Eskandarian and Arash Farazmand were both found on the third floor suffering from gunshots to the head. An unnamed 22-year-old man was shot and wounded, and is said to be in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital.
The gunman tried to kill two more people, but they retreated to a bathroom and barricaded themselves inside. He then retreated to the roof where he aimed his .308-caliber rifle towards his chin and fired the fatal shot.
Reports say the gunman was allegedly kicked out of the band for selling equipment. According to a witness that spoke with the New York Daily News, the group never appeared to have violent tendencies.
“They seem like really nice guys,” said Martin Greenman. “They didn’t seem to be in anyway to be violent guys. They weren’t rabble rousers or anything like that.”
We will update this story as details emerge.
Images of the crime scene, the band, and a pair of the victims appear on the following pages.
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Photos: Reuters, Facebook, New York Daily News
