A Nigerian aspiring fashion designer, Sheriff Shittu, was shot dead inside a nightclub in New York City following a confrontation with a gunman, authorities and family members have said.

Police said the incident occurred at about 4:25 a.m. on Saturday at Quilox Restaurant and Lounge in the East Flatbush area of Brooklyn. Shittu had gone to the club with his younger brother, Fawaz Shittu, to celebrate a friend’s birthday a day before their mother was due to arrive from Nigeria.

According to Fawaz, the trouble began when a drunken patron allegedly groped women in the club, including the Sheriff's girlfriend. The sheriff intervened, leading to a physical altercation. Although the brothers initially left the venue, they returned shortly afterwards when Sheriff realised he had forgotten his mobile phone.

Fawaz said the intoxicated man was being escorted out when gunshots rang out. “I was screaming his name,” he recalled. “I was trying to wake him up.” He added that the club owner had attempted to calm tensions moments earlier, saying: “Don’t mind that person, he's a crazy guy.”

Emergency responders rushed Sheriff to Brookdale University Hospital, where he later died. The gunman fled the scene and remains at large. Fawaz questioned how the suspect was able to bring a firearm into the club, alleging lapses in security checks.

Sheriff, who immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in 2018, worked as a security guard while building his fashion brand, Riff Ent. His family described him as warm, protective and hardworking. His 60-year-old mother, Foluke Shittu, reportedly learnt of his death after arriving in the US for a planned visit.

The family is now calling for justice. “We want him to get life in prison, the maximum sentence,” his brother Salem said, urging authorities to ensure the suspect faces the full weight of the law. (The Sun)

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