Gunman Shoots Exterior Of Marco Polo Ristorante Sunday Morning

CARROLL GARDENS – An unknown individual shot several rounds into the exterior of an Italian restaurant on Court Street Sunday morning, police say.

At approximately 9am on Sunday, February 25, an employee arriving to work at the Marco Polo Ristorante located at 345 Court Street (on the corner of Union) discovered several holes in the front of the building. He called the police whose investigation found that a lone gunman shot up the eatery’s exterior at approximately 6am earlier that morning, according to a NYPD representative.

Several gunfire fragments were found inside the restaurant. Since the incident occurred while the business was closed, no injuries were reported. There was no damage to neighboring properties, the police rep added. The investigation is ongoing.

Two bullet holes were visible on the front of the restaurant yesterday at approximately 11am—one in the door and one in the window overlooking Court Street, Pardon Me For Asking reported. The restaurant’s staff taped up menus and restaurant reviews to cover the bullet holes, the article added.

Police recovered ten shell casings in front of the Body Elite gym, located across Court Street from the restaurant, according to the New York Post. The paper reports that the gym’s surveillance camera captured footage of a hooded man “stalking around outside” just before the shooting occurred. The NYPD has not released a description, photo, or video footage of the suspect yet.

Joseph Chirico opened Marco Polo Ristorante in 1983. He pleaded guilty to laundering money for the Gambino crime family in 2008, the New York Post reports, adding that investigators say the restaurant was targeted as “some kind of message.”