Baby Shower Melee Leaves 1 Dead, 4 Injured

A happy event turned violent early Sunday morning when the manager of a Brooklyn catering hall fired at three guests, and by the time the police caught a second shooter, one person was dead and four others were wounded.

A baby shower at the El Barandillo banquet hall on Atlantic Avenue turned into a fight between members of the Bloods and Crips - all of whom were invited to the shower. El Barandillo manager Omar Marquez tried to stop the fight by having everyone leave and decided to fire a gun into the air to get everyone's attention. The Post reports that "A few of the angry guests shoved him through the door and locked him out," only for Marquez to return and shoot three guests, killing one of them.

The police arrived in time to see another guest shoot at Marquez six times, hitting him twice. They chased the shooter, who was fleeing with a friend, and ended up shooting the suspect, Wallace Davis, in the leg. The friend, Emmanuel Hicklinson, picked up Davis' gun and helped Davis run further, but the cops caught up with Davis. The police also fired at Hicklinson, who threw the gun over a fence shortly before police caught up with him. Davis and Hicklinson, who have criminal histories, were arrested.

Marquez is in critical but stable condition, while shower guest Darren Francis, whose head was grazed by one of Marquez's bullets, is in stable condition. Another shower guest, Jason Garcia, was hit in the chest and is at a hospital; it's unclear what kind of condition he is in.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on November 19, 2007 8:17 AM

Comments [rss]

freddyhere

...or perhaps this was all a setup for an easy ambush.

captainblackout

The only true way celebrate the beauty of bringing a new life into this world is by removing an old(er) life.

Forget about baby clothes.

Snoopy

Perhaps if the manager used a whistle instead of a gun to get attention, the idea of using guns might have been less obvious to the scholars gathered there.

Elderta

These two gangs should really rename themselves The Idiots and the Deadbeats.

babyhitler

wow. just wow. on one hand you have someone sophisticated to throw a catered baby shower, and on the other you have someone moronic enought to invite rival gang members. and then the monkey wrench is the manager! hahahhaah.

HughGass

is anybody really surprised? when you read this story, did you put both hands on either side of your face and say to yourself "oh my god!!"

NO. I didn't think so.

MT

Can I ask the question that never seems to get asked when these stories hit (as the frequently do)? Who is having a baby shower at 1 a.m.?!?!?

I seem to remember a similar story of an incident that happened at the birthday party of a little kid. It's obvious that these people are just using these kids as an excuse to party themselves. It's like when you see them with their toddlers on the Staten Island Ferry at 2 a.m. It's just wrong. If you're a parent be responsible and don't drag your kids around like accessories.