Two charged in March shooting outside Prospect-Lefferts Gardens restaurant

August 12, 2020 Rob Abruzzese

A restaurant at the corner of Rogers and Lefferts avenues in Brooklyn, where a shooting occurred just after midnight on March 14. Two men were arrested and charged in federal court on Tuesday in connection to the shooting. Screenshot via Google

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Two men in their 20s were indicted in federal court on Tuesday and charged with possession of a firearm in connection with a shooting that took place outside of a Prospect-Lefferts Gardens restaurant on March 14 that left one person wounded.

Davon Brown, a 26-year-old also known as Chico Dinero, and Christian Williams, a 25-year-old known as Zonee Flocks, were arrested early Tuesday and made their initial appearance via videoconference in front of Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.

The two men were allegedly inside the Gold Room Restaurant and Lounge, located on Rogers Avenue, just after midnight on the night of March 14 when a dispute occurred, and a person standing next to Brown had a drink thrown at them.

Surveillance footage taken from the restaurant shows that an argument ensued and ultimately continued outside of the restaurant. It showed a person who law enforcement believes was Brown shoot a gun into the air. Immediately afterward, Brown allegedly walks behind a car and hands a gun to Williams.

After receiving the gun, the video shows the person believed to be Williams walk around the car, approach two people who are arguing, shoot one of the people in the rear, and then run off. The injury was non-fatal, but did require surgery, according to prosecutors.

Police later arrived at the scene and found a gun that had three live bullets and two spent cartridges approximately half a block away from the incident in the direction that Williams fled, according to police reports. DNA tests reportedly found three people’s DNA on the gun, including that of both Williams and Brown.

Brown was also charged separately with committing bank fraud for allegedly depositing fraudulent checks into bank accounts under other people’s names and then immediately withdrawing money before the checks could be identified as fraudulent. He was previously convicted of a similar crime and was on supervised release from prison for that crime the night of the shooting.

Williams also has a previous conviction involving a shooting in 2014. In connection with that shooting, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the second degree with intent to perform a Class A felony and attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. He was out on parole the night of the shooting in 2020.

Police say that the people seen in the video during the shooting on the night of March 14 are Williams and Brown, although you can’t see their faces in the video, based on the clothes that they were wearing at the time. Police said Williams was wearing a black and gold Adidas tracksuit, and said Brown was wearing a long-sleeved shirt that said “LOVE” on one sleeve and “HATE” on another. Previous footage and social media pictures show each man wearing the same distinctive clothes prior to the shooting.

“Preventing gun violence by repeat offenders is a priority of this office, and we are addressing it aggressively in close coordination with our federal and local law enforcement partners,” said acting U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme. “As alleged, a minor dispute escalated to a shooting, underscoring the need to eradicate violent gangs that jeopardize the safety of our communities.”