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Northern Westchester Man Charged For Murdering Bar Employee

A Northern Westchester man has been arrested and charged following a shooting at a Yonkers bar that left an employee dead, police announced.

Peekskill resident Jaquan McGougain

Peekskill resident Jaquan McGougain

Photo Credit: Yonkers Police Department
Duo Tapas Bar and Lounge in Yonkers.

Duo Tapas Bar and Lounge in Yonkers.

Photo Credit: Google Maps street view

Officers from the Yonkers Police Department responded to the Duo Tapas Lounge and Bar on Yonkers Avenue at approximately 2:08 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6, where there was a report of a shooting with multiple victims.

Yonkers Police Det. Lt. Dean Politopoulos said that upon arrival, first responders located two men with gunshot wounds, one of whom was unresponsive.

Both men were transported to an area hospital, where the unresponsive victim died from his injuries.

The investigation found that the bar was hosting a party on the night of the shooting, which resulted in a fight breaking out. As bar management was ushering attendees outside, some of whom were drunk and disorderly, one went to a parked car, retrieved a handgun, and began firing multiple shots into the vestibule of the building.

A bouncer and busser were struck, police said. The bouncer, a 23-year-old Bronx resident was treated for a gunshot wound to his stomach and later released from the hospital.

The busser, later identified as Antonio Antoine-Filis, a 22-year-old Montvale, New Jersey resident, was struck in the torso and hand and later died from his injuries at the hospital, while the shooter was taken into custody at the scene.

According to police, the suspect has been identified as Peekskill resident Jaquan McGougain, age 29, who was arrested on Tuesday, Feb.8, and charged with:

  • Second-degree murder;
  • Attempted murder;
  • Criminal possession of a weapon.

Investigators noted that detectives also recovered an illegal Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol that was purchased in North Carolina in 2018 and is believed to be the murder weapon.

“I extend my deepest sympathies to the family of the precious young life lost,” Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in a statement.

“Working with our partners on the state level, we will ensure a fatal event like this never happens again and provide true justice for the family by continuing to fight to keep illegal guns off our streets and from the hands of violent criminals.”

McGougain was arraigned in Yonkers Criminal Court on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and remanded to the Westchester County Jail without bail pending his next court appearance on Thursday, Feb. 17.

"In less than 72 hours our fantastic Yonkers Police investigators have filed murder charges against the alleged perpetrator of this senseless killing," Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller stated. "But that is not enough to deliver justice to the victim's family or other crime victims.

"We must have an end-to-end solution in holding people accountable and it doesn't happen unless police departments and district attorney's offices across the country are working hand in hand," he continued. "In this case, the quick resolution of the case is exactly that." 

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