Kevon Lee, a 41-year-old man from Brooklyn, was killed on the morning of May 25, 2026, during what began as an ordinary Memorial Day trip to a Flatlands laundromat. Police said the shooting happened at about 8:00 a.m. inside Xpress Laundromat at 1809 Utica Avenue, near Avenue J. Lee lived only a few minutes away, on East 42nd Street, and was inside the business when gunfire suddenly broke through the routine of customers washing and folding clothes.
Officers responding to a 911 call found him suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his body.
The laundromat was not empty when the shooting happened. Witnesses described a frightening scene with more than 10 people inside as shots rang out. One customer, Philip Denaud, said he was doing laundry when five or six shots were fired, sending people to the floor and into hiding. He said he and several others took cover in a bathroom, locking themselves inside as the gunfire continued. Another man, 68 years old, was grazed in the foot and survived. Lee was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, where he was pronounced dead. The injured man was reported to be in stable condition after being taken for treatment.
Accounts from the scene suggested that Lee may have been specifically targeted. A witness told the Brooklyn Eagle that a man wearing a black mask entered the laundromat, shot Lee, and left quickly without saying anything. The laundromat manager also said surveillance footage appeared to show the gunman running inside, opening fire, and then leaving right away. The attack unfolded so fast that customers had little time to react, and by the next day the business had reopened, with evidence markers seen in video from the scene beneath laundry carts and clothing.
Lee’s wife was reportedly there with him and tried desperately to save him after he was shot. The killing left witnesses shaken, including people who feared the gunman had seen their faces. What had been a routine morning in a 24-hour neighborhood laundromat became a homicide scene, with police, emergency responders, and frightened customers left behind after the shooter fled.
As of the available reports, no arrests had been announced. Citizen reported that there were no arrests and that the investigation remained active and ongoing, while other sources did not name a suspect. The only suspect description available from published accounts was a masked male who entered the laundromat, fired at Lee, and left quickly. No charges, court proceedings, trial information, or convictions have been reported in connection with Kevon Lee’s death.
