Eatery At Center Of Fatal Inwood Shooting Has History Of Fights

INWOOD, NY — A fatal shooting Monday inside 10th Avenue eatery Floridita was not the first fight to break out at the 24-hour restaurant, though staff insist the history of violent incidents is "not their fault."

"Things happen because of people, not because of the restaurant," a manager, who refused to give his name, told Patch Thursday. "This is a restaurant. Everyone comes here to eat, not to drink ."

The manager said there "isn't much to say" about the early morning Monday shooting, which killed a 28-year-old man and sent a 58-year-old woman and another man to the hospital with gunshot wounds to their legs.

But he did seem to imply that the restaurant's reputation as a hotspot for late-night eats after a night of drinking was likely to blame. Floridita is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and features music, karaoke and DJs, according to community board records.

"People come here to eat after the clubs, they are obviously drunk," the manager said. "If I touch you, people get offended. Things happen."

Surveillance video Eyewitness News obtained of the shooting shows that it might have been caused by someone bumping into another customer.

The shooting was one of at least three incidents at Floridita in the past year, according to information from the NYPD's 34th Precinct.

Officers told Community Board 12's Licensing Committee in December that in addition to seven noise complaints at the restaurant in 2018, there had been two violent incidents in the last year, one in November and another in February, according to the meeting minutes.

There were no details about the February incident, but the November 911 call happened after a fight broke out at the eatery. Two people were arrested for weapon possession, officers said.

Floridita owners told the community board that they had tried to prevent further incidents by increasing security, removing tinted windows and stopping serving alcohol after 3:45 a.m., minutes show.

"The police can report whatever they want — we show evidence that it’s not our fault," the manager said Thursday.

The manager added that three security guards are stationed at the restaurant every weekend. The restaurant didn't have plans to increase security because of the shooting, he said.

"This is a restaurant, I don't have to have security," he said. "I have security for the safety of the people."

The history of complaints was included in a resolution from Community Board 12's decision not to support Floridita's application for a new liquor license.

The Licensing Committee recommended approving the liquor license, but the general board rejected that recommendation in December by a vote of 24 to 17, minutes show.

The State Liquor Authority, which makes the final decision on liquor license applications, didn't have an updated record about the liquor license at Floridita, but the manager said the new liquor license was successfully renewed.

Police hadn't yet found those responsible for the shooting on Thursday.