An innocent Brooklyn restaurant worker was left brain-dead after a disgruntled patron opened fire in a shocking caught-on-video drive-by at the eatery early Monday, authorities and police sources said.
The 35-year-old worker was trying to close the gates of Room 1Hundred – a restaurant on Jamaica Avenue near New Jersey Avenue in East New York – just after midnight when the gunman fired off several rounds from the driver’s side of a black sedan, according to sources and surveillance video obtained by The Post.
The gravely wounded man – struck in the back of the head – collapsed to the ground as the car turned right onto Marginal Street East, the brief clip shows.
He was rushed to Brookdale University Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, cops said.
The long-time worker was considered brain-dead Tuesday, sources said.
The shooter had previously gotten into an argument inside the restaurant over the bill, which ultimately turned physical, sources said.
Everyone was booted from the restaurant over the fracas – but the enraged man continued acting “disorderly” outside, according to the sources.
Then he got into his car and callously fired toward the dining spot as he drove off, the sources said.
A parked unoccupied vehicle was also struck by three rounds, and two shell casings were recovered on scene, according to the sources.
The wounded worker has no criminal history and was not involved in the initial mayhem that unfolded inside, sources said.
A clerk at Marien Grocery across the street who declined to give her name said that the victim is from a city called Bonao in the Dominican Republic.
His father was set to arrive from there on Tuesday, the clerk said.
“[The victim] comes in everyday,” the grocery store worker added. “He came in on Sunday to buy his lunch. He comes in every day. He came in around 5 p.m. [and] that was the last time I saw him alive.”
“He’s a good man, he’s quiet, he works hard,” she said. “Which is good because around here now if you speak too much, you have trouble.”
A 35-year-old neighbor, who identified himself as Byron, a Union 638 steamfitter, said the neighborhood is taking a turn for the worse.
“I’ve lived here 25 years and it’s never been this bad,” Byron said. “The crack sales right here, you can see them over on the corner. They are always with guns. And these places are open till 4:00 a.m. Saturday night – you wouldn’t believe the stuff that goes on here.”
“Three guys pulled a gun on me last month right in my own building,” he added. “This neighborhood is going down fast. I had to buy a car because I can’t go on the subway anymore. Getting stabbed on the subway here is way too common.”
Overall felony crime, however, is down by about 6 percent so far this year in the confines of the NYPD’s 75th Precinct, which covers the area.
Shootings have seen a slight dip, with 52 people reported shot in 50 incidents in the precinct’s confines so far this year through Sunday, the latest data available.
At this time in 2023, 61 people were shot in 52 incidents within the boundaries of the 75th Precinct.