Sofronie Hartzog was shot during an early-morning dispute outside a Crown Heights lounge, while another bystander was wounded.
NEW YORK — A 33-year-old Brooklyn mother of five was fatally shot during an early-morning dispute outside a crowded Crown Heights lounge Sunday, with police saying she appeared to be an unintended victim of the gunfire.
Sofronie Hartzog was shot in the back near Bergen Street and Howard Avenue shortly after 2:20 a.m. Aug. 16, according to police accounts reported by several New York news organizations. A 34-year-old man was also shot in the abdomen or stomach and was hospitalized in stable condition. Investigators said both victims appeared to have been bystanders rather than intended targets.
Police said a large crowd had gathered near Ooh La La Lounge and Bar when a dispute broke out and shots were fired. News 12 reported that investigators estimated about 100 people were in the area. Surveillance footage reviewed by local television stations showed people running after the gunfire began. Authorities have not publicly established what prompted the dispute or identified the person who fired the fatal shot.
After she was wounded, Hartzog made her way inside the lounge seeking help and collapsed. Emergency medical workers transported her to One Brooklyn Health-One Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Police said the second victim reached NYC Health and Hospitals/Kings County and was listed in stable condition.
Hartzog lived in Brooklyn and was the mother of five children. CBS News New York reported that her children range in age from 6 to 18. Relatives and neighbors described her in interviews with the New York Post as a devoted mother whose children were frequently seen together and well cared for.
Police initially questioned two men who matched descriptions connected to the shooting, according to the New York Post, but investigators later determined they were not involved and released them. No arrest had been announced by Monday evening, and CBS News reported that the shooter remained at large.
Accounts from authorities and local news organizations generally place the shooting outside or immediately near the lounge, although early reports differed slightly on the exact time and location. Police information cited by News 12 placed the 911 call at about 2:23 a.m., while ABC7 reported the gunfire at about 2:33 a.m. The available reports agree that Hartzog was wounded outside before entering the business for help.
The killing came amid several recent cases in which people not believed to be intended targets were struck by gunfire in Brooklyn. Two days later, police said a 52-year-old woman walking near the Glenwood Houses in Flatlands was grazed in the arm by a bullet and survived. Authorities described her as an innocent bystander and were searching for suspects in that separate case.
Investigators have not announced a motive in Hartzog’s killing or publicly identified a suspected gunman. Police were continuing to examine surveillance footage, witness information and the circumstances surrounding the dispute as the search for whoever fired the shots continued.
Author note: Last updated August 18, 2026.