Originally published on November 12, 2013
A gunman police identified as 29-year-old Ali Akbar Mohammadi Rafie was responsible for a shooting spree that took place at around midnight Monday (November 11) in Brooklyn's East Williamsburg area in New York, where he fatally shot three people, then himself, and injured another. Among the residents of the building were The Yellow Dogs, which are band that formed in Iran and moved to New York after seeking asylum in the U.S. 2010.
Reports say Rafie, who was armed with a .308 rifle, accessed the three-story building at 318 Maujer Street from the roof, then proceeded to a third-floor landing where he shot singer Ali Eskandarian, 35, through a glass door or window. He then went inside where he fatally shot drummer Arash Farazmand. Rafie went on to the second floor, where found Soroush Farazmand using his laptop in bed, and fatally shot him in the chest. Reports say Rafie also encountered Sasan Sadeghpourosko, 22, on the second floor, and proceeded to fire upon him several times. Sadeghpourosko managed to escape only with injuries to his elbow and shoulder.
When Rafie returned to the third floor, he found the 28-year-old Pooya Hosseini, a vocalist of another band, the Free Keys. Hosseini was hiding in a bedroom closet. Hosseini grabbed for the weapon when Rafie fired a shot, and the two struggled, causing the rifle to fire several times before the clip fell out. At this point, Rafie fled the room and returned to the roof, where he shot and killed himself.
According to police, at least two other people were in the building during the shooting spree, but had hidden in a bathtub and unharmed. Officials said as many as 16 shots were fired across the second and third floors.
Band manager Ali Salehezade denied reports that Rafie's rampage was brought on by his anger at being kicked out of the band after he was caught selling their equipment.
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