In the early morning hours of October 15, 2023, a night out in Manhattan turned tragic for 32-year-old Steven Mussington. The Harlem resident, a Black male, was fatally shot inside a building on Seventh Avenue in the Flatiron District. The location, known during the day as Foxy Fitness and Pole Training Studios, allegedly transformed into an unlicensed after-hours strip club at night.
Mussington and a friend had reportedly heard about the late-night activities at the studio and decided to go. Around 5:30 a.m., upon his arrival, Mussington is said to have gotten into a heated argument with two unidentified men near the entrance of the establishment. Despite the confrontation, he proceeded to head up a narrow staircase leading to the club area. It is believed that he was followed up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he was shot in the back of the head.
The gunshot sparked chaos within the studio. Witnesses described a frantic scene as scantily clad dancers fled into the street in panic. When police and emergency medical services arrived, they found Mussington in the stairwell with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A single shell casing was recovered in the stairwell, marking the spot of the fatal encounter.
In the immediate aftermath, several individuals who remained at the scene were taken in for questioning by the New York Police Department. However, no arrests have been made in the case, and the suspect or suspects remain at large. Investigators have been looking into various possible motives for the shooting, including Mussington's past criminal history, which included a conviction for federal bank fraud and prior drug distribution charges. The venue itself had also been on law enforcement's radar, with reports of a previous shooting incident just a month prior, though no one was injured in that event. The illegal after-hours operation had reportedly been a source of concern for people in the neighborhood.
