Williamsburg Shooting: Musician Kills Bandmembers, Himself

Monday’s Williamsburg shooting left four men dead after a gunman shot four men and then himself. Bodies of the three victims and the shooter were found in their home in their Brooklyn neighborhood. New York Police Department spokespeople say officers heard the gunshots when they began around midnight. Reports claiming the shooter was a former member of the victims’ band are not correct.

The suspect involved in the Williamsburg shooting was identified as Raefe Ahkbar. He was found on the roof of a Brooklyn row house with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to NY Daily News.

Police say Ahkbar began his rampage when he shot a 22-year-old man in the arm outside the Williamsburg residence, DNA Info New York reports. The suspect then barged into the building and began firing. Officials say Ahkbar then went to the second floor and opened fire on one man, fatally wounding him. He also took aim at a pair of other people, but they were able to hide safely in a nearby bathroom.

The suspect then went to the third floor, where he shot and killed two more men. Ahkbar was found on the roof next to a.308-caliber rifle and a single empty shell. A neighbor recalls hearing the gunshots: “It was about three, then a pause, and another shot.”

Police say that the motives behind Raefe Ahkbar’s actions are unclear. Sources have been incorrectly reporting that the suspect had been recently ejected from the victims’ band, The Yellow Dogs. According to BBC News, however, Ahkbar was not a member of The Yellow Dogs, but was a member of another band.

The Yellow Dogs moved to Brooklyn in 2010 from Iran. Described as “dance-punk-psychadelic,” the band’s music violated Iranian laws. The band gained attention from both underground music fans and the government after 2009’s documentary, No One Knows About Persian Cats, became popular. Fearing persecution from Iranian authorities, the band moved to Brooklyn to continue making music.

As NY Daily News reports, those who knew the band were shocked to hear about the incident. One local says he last saw the group on Friday, and describes them as “really nice guys. They didn’t seem… to be violent guys.”

Police say reports that Williamsburg shooting suspect Raefe Ahkbar was killed by sniper fire are incorrect.

[Featured Image via ShutterStock; Picture of The Yellow Dogs via Facebook]