Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Aug. 23, 2009: Remembering Eric 'Taz' Pagan

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the murder of Eric "Taz" Pagan outside Forbidden City on Avenue A. He was 42. (You can read our coverage here.)



Police eventually arrested 29-year-old ex-con Louis Rodriguez, who reportedly ditched the gun in the East River after the shooting. As Michael Wilson at the Times reported on July 26, Justice Richard D. Carruthers of State Supreme Court in Manhattan sentenced Rodriguez to 80 years in prison.

Pagan's sister recalled the moment that she had to tell her mother about the shooting. "And she just broke down. She said, 'Who could have done this to my son?' She became very angry. Why did this happen to her son? She started questioning her faith."

From Pagan's memorial outside Forbidden City. (Forbidden City is now called Fat Buddha.)



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6 comments:

  1. ShawnAugust 23, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    Taz, miss ya man. You didn't deserve to go out like that. Rest in peace.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 23, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    we should name the street for him ....

    ReplyDelete
  3. KurtAugust 23, 2011 at 11:43 AM

    This was the event that made me aware of you blog, Grieve. I was working at a nearby bar that night and I remember the events like it was yesterday. I had cleared out the bar at 4 and minutes later customers asked to come back in because they heard the shots. We let them in until the police got on the scene and then we closed up and as I crossed Avenue A the ambulance was still working on Taz in the middle of the street. The next morning I did a search to see if I could find out details of the story and one of the top links brought me to this blog. What a tragedy. RIP.

    ReplyDelete
  4. EV GrieveAugust 23, 2011 at 12:28 PM

    Thanks for sharing, Kurt. Wish that you would have come my way under different circumstances.

    One person I know still thinks that she sees him walking on Avenue A, smiling and waving...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Marty WombacherAugust 23, 2011 at 8:37 PM

    Sad story. R.I.P. Taz.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2021 at 3:55 AM

    My boy Eric. We laughed together, I miss you bro and I know we will see each other again. I can't even believe you've been gone this long. I was just thinking about you, and came upon this, I hadda leave a brief comment because everybody we knew misses you to this very day. My old lady still talks about you to me and we smile because she remembers the good times on A and Campos. I'll never forget you bro. One of the best friends I ever had. A stand up guy, a loyal friend and true man in every sense of the word.

    ReplyDelete

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