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.)

Also on Avenue A: Forbidden City remains closed

Thanks to the reader for this shot... Forbidden City has been closed of late... given the number of complaints levied against the bar/restaurant/club, the CB3/SLA denied their liquor license renewal last month...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Forbidden City's renewal denied

A memorial for Taz remains at 12th and A

Whenever the gates are down at the northeast corner of Avenue A and 12th Street...



... you can see that a tribute remains for Eric "Taz" Pagan, the LES resident who was murdered outside Forbidden City last August...

Benefit yesterday for the children of Eric "Taz" Pagan

Last night, nine bars in the neighborhood donated half of their register to establish a college fund for the two children of slain Forbidden City bouncer Eric "Taz" Pagan.

I stopped by a few of the participating bars early in the evening to check on the turnout. And have a few drinks.

Drop Off Service was, quite frankly, packed. Friday night packed, perhaps. (Not that I've ever been there on a Friday night. Heard someone else say that it was like a Friday night to the bartender. And there were two bartenders working.) Next door, Destination was pleasantly full. Across the street, Forbidden City was crowded. Several people stopped in just to make a donation to the college fund.



The next block to the south, Common Ground was also full. At 9 p.m., a quick check of Superdive found four people inside. Habibi Lounge wasn't open when I first walked by...then, around 9, I saw two people at the bar.

One aside: a couple was moving into an apartment on Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street. Despite several open spaces along the east side of Avenue A, they decided to park directly in front of Forbidden City. Which is fine, but I was curious if they knew what had happened...or what was happening this evening...



In any event, I have no idea what the final tally will be from the bars. But from what I saw, a lot of people came out to provide support...

Previously on EV Grieve:
EV bars come together to create college fund for Eric "Taz" Pagan's children

Avenue A, 9:46 a.m., Aug. 29

Memorial for Eric "Taz" Pagan grows outside Forbidden City

And down the street at Common Ground...




Previously.

Report: Lawyer representing alleged killer says his client is innocent

From the Daily News:

A lawyer representing an ex-con charged with murdering an East Village bouncer claimed Tuesday an off-duty cop witnessed the shooting and told police the alleged killer was innocent.

"An off-duty cop was present," said Paul Brenner, a lawyer for Louis Rodriguez, 29. "He said Mr. Rodriguez was definitely not involved."

Brenner's comments came after Rodriguez was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on murder charges in the slaying of Eric (Taz) Pagan outside Forbidden City on Avenue A early Sunday.

"My client wasn't there," Brenner said, adding that he asked prosecutors about the cop -- whose name he did not know -- but got "no response."

The prosecution said they stood behind the charges.

Memorial service information for Eric "Taz" Pagan

One of Pagan's former co-workers at Forbidden City provided the following information:

VIEWING

Redden's Funeral Home:
325 W 14th St. N.Y. 10014
212-242-1456

Days:
Wed 4pm -9pm
Thurs 4pm -9pm

SERVICE

Immaculate Church 14th St. Btwn 1st Ave. + Ave A.
Friday MASS
UPDATE: The service begins at 9 a.m.

Previously.

Arrest made in shooting death of Eric "Taz" Pagan

Not a lot of information so far on the arrest. According to reports, police arrested Louis Rodriguez on charges of murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. (1010 WINS)

UPDATE: The Times has more information. The Times reports that the man charged in the shootings is Louis Rodriguez, 29, of 452 East 117th St. He was arrested in Gramercy Sunday night.

UPDATE (Aug. 25, 8:51 p.m.):
The Daily News posted a story a few hours ago. According to the paper:

Police said the quarrel started when Rodriguez rolled up on the club in a white van and accidentally struck bar patron Salvador Moran, 31, as he stood outside with Pagan and Robert Calbo, 30.

Moran and Rodriguez started arguing until Rodriguez ended the back-and-forth with gunfire, hitting Moran in the neck.

Calbo was shot in the hand trying to push the gun away, police sources said.

That's when Pagan jumped in and tried break up the fight.

He was fatally shot in the face, cops said.

Rodriguez, who served nearly five years in state prison on a Bronx assault charge, was fingered as the gunman by witnesses

.

Tribute outside Forbidden City for Eric "Taz" Pagan

This was originally posted last night.

Dozens of people gathered outside Forbidden City on Avenue A tonight to pay their respects to Eric "Taz" Pagan, an employee of the lounge who was shot and killed earlier this morning after trying to break up a fight.




Pagan was not on duty at the time. According to the Daily News, the part-time electrician had stopped by Forbidden City on Avenue A near 13th Street to pick up some tools. Pagan, who had two teenage children, was 42.






No arrests have been made.



There's coverage in the Daily News and the Post.

Update Monday:

A few more details are emerging from the deadly shooting early Sunday morning that claimed the life of Eric "Taz" Pagan. According to the Post, Pagan was helping people try to find a set of keys outside Forbidden City:

A dispute began as several of the men searching for the keys were grazed by a passing white Nissan Quest, the sources said. The men on the street angrily yelled something at the driver, prompting him to stop and his passengers — three men and a woman — to jump out and start attacking them.

A witness, who asked not to be identified, said Pagan was trying to break up the fight when one of the men returned to the van, grabbed a gun and began firing.

Meanwhile, the Daily News checks in with a piece titled, "At city's clubs, violence is often part of job for bouncers." The article mentions other violent incidents in recent years, including two from the East Village:

• Dana (Shazam) Blake, 32, a bouncer at Guernica on Avenue B, was stabbed to death in 2003 by a patron he asked to put out a cigarette.

• Carlos Salome, a bouncer at Sing Sing Karaoke on Avenue A, survived being shot in the chest in May 2008 after breaking up a series of bar fights.



Earlier on EV Grieve:
Sources: One dead, two wounded in early-morning shooting on Avenue A

Bob Arihood was the first on the scene.