A fatal Crown Heights shooting prompted New York City mayoral candidates to clash over crime policies as city grapples with recent surge in gun violence incidents.

A night of fun turned into a morning of terror as dozens of shots rang out inside a packed Crown Heights hookah lounge before dawn Sunday. PIX11 News spoke with some of the survivors and victims of the mass shooting,

NEW YORK -- Three people are dead and eight others are wounded after a shooting at a New York City lounge early Sunday, police officials said. The shooting happened just before 3:30 a.m. local time inside the Taste of the City lounge in Crown Heights, Brooklyn at 903 Franklin Avenue.

Jamel Andre Childs, 35, tried to cool tempers down at Taste of the City lounge in Crown Heights before the gunfight erupted, friends say.

The men were among 11 people hit by gunfire in the Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Avenue, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference. A total of eight men and three women were shot amid a dispute in the lounge, she said. The initial 911 call was received at about 3:27 a.m., the NYPD said.

Multiple shooters opened fire at the Taste of the City lounge in Crown Heights, Brooklyn early Sunday, police said.

More than one shooter opened fire in the Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Ave. near Carroll St. in Crown Heights just before 3:30 a.m.

Around four shooters opened fire at a New York City restaurant early Sunday, resulting in three deaths and eight injuries. According to police, the violence is gang-related.