By Paul Joseph
A Nigerian aspiring fashion designer based in the United States was fatally shot early Saturday inside a Brooklyn nightclub following a confrontation with a drunk patron who allegedly groped his girlfriend, according to his family and police.
Sheriff Shittu was killed when a gunman opened fire inside Quilox Restaurant and Lounge in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn at about 4:25 a.m., police said. The venue is located on Church Avenue near East 95th Street.
Shittu, who immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in 2018, had gone to the club with his younger brother, Fawaz Shittu, to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The outing came just a day before their 60-year-old mother was scheduled to arrive from Nigeria for a visit.
“I was screaming his name,” Fawaz said, recalling the moments after the gunfire erupted. “I was trying to wake him up.”
According to Fawaz, the altercation began when an intoxicated man allegedly began touching women inappropriately, including Sheriff’s girlfriend. Sheriff intervened, leading to a physical scuffle with the man.
Disturbed by the incident, the brothers left the club roughly 45 minutes after arriving, Fawaz said. They returned shortly afterward when they realized Sheriff had left his cellphone behind.
When they re-entered the club, the intoxicated man was being escorted out, and the club’s owner attempted to calm the situation, Fawaz recounted.
“The owner was saying, ‘Don’t mind that person — he’s a crazy guy,’” Fawaz said. “A few seconds later, I heard ‘pow,’ and I looked down and I saw my brother.”
A bartender rushed to perform CPR on Sheriff as he lay motionless on the floor, according to his brother. The gunman fled the scene and remains at large.
“He was able to escape,” Fawaz said. “I don’t know how that happened or how he got the gun in the club. Security didn’t do its job. They didn’t search. You’re supposed to check people and their bags.”
Emergency responders transported Sheriff to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, where he later died, police said. Family members initially kept him on life support, hoping for a miracle.
“He has been pronounced dead, but we’re still hoping,” said another brother, Salem Shittu, 24. “We’re holding out with our faith in God.”
Salem described his brother as warm, protective and ambitious.
“He was a very sweet person, very outgoing,” he said. “He was protective of his family, his friends and his loved ones.”
The tragedy deepened when Sheriff’s mother, Foluke Shittu, arrived in the United States the day after the shooting, unaware of what had happened. She learned of her son’s death only after landing. The family lives in Far Rockaway, Queens.
“My son was a very kind person,” Foluke said. “I love him. We spoke on Friday, and I arrived on Sunday. That’s when they told me.”
Sheriff worked as a security guard while building his fashion brand, Riff Ent, which he hoped to grow into a full-scale label. His family said they intend to continue his dream in his honor.
“We’re going to keep pushing his brand,” Salem said. “We’re just trying to make a way for one another.”
The family is calling for the suspect’s arrest and prosecution.
“We want him to get life in prison, the maximum sentence,” Salem said. “If there’s a death penalty in New York, use that.”
Leave a Reply