Days after an off-duty paramedic was shot outside a hookah lounge in Jamaica Estates, a local lawmaker is calling for the bar to be closed, citing a past history of violence.
The 38-year-old male FDNY lieutenant was shot four times in the arm, back, torso and foot outside the Cloud 9 lounge located at 179-22 Union Tpke. at about 4 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 29, according to police. He was brought to Queens Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.
According to published reports, the lieutenant and some colleagues were hanging out at the lounge when a brawl erupted. Bullets rang out as patrons scattered outside the joint, the New York Daily News reported. Police said a description of the shooter was not yet known.
Councilman Rory Lancman said this was the second shooting at Cloud 9 in two years. Back in June 2014, according to a published report, a 30-year-old man was shot in the right shoulder amid a dispute broke out at the hookah bar.
Lancman said that it was time for the NYPD and the State Liquor Authority to take action to ensure that either club owners make the facility safe, or shut it down for good.
“The Police Department and the State Liquor Authority need to use the tools at their disposal to ensure that adequate security is in place before Cloud 9 is able to continue operating, and I will be convening a meeting of stakeholders to demand answers from the bar’s ownership,” Lancman said in a statement. “No one — let alone a first responder — should fear for their safety after a night out with friends or coworkers, or while walking the streets in our quiet community.”
QNS called Cloud 9 for comment, but no one picked up, and a message could not be left because the voicemail box was full.
Meanwhile, the investigation of Saturday’s shooting continues.
