Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
12/08/1995: An assailant attacked Freddy's Fashion Mart in Harlem, New York City, New York, United States. The assailant, identified as Roland James Smith (aka Aboudima Moulika), was armed with a .38 caliber revolver and a canister of paint thinner. He shot and wounded four people before barricading himself and others inside the building and starting a fire that destroyed the first floor of the building. Smith shot and killed himself, and the fire killed seven others who were trapped in the store. Smith had been among protesters picketing the store in an ongoing landlord-tenant dispute with neighboring stores, which some protesters viewed as racially motivated. Witnesses reported that Smith carried out the attack because he mistakenly believed that the owner of the store was engaging in racially discriminatory hiring practices.Overview
GTD ID:
199512080005
When:
1995-12-08
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
New York
City:
New York City
Location Details:
125th Street
What
| Type of Attack (more) | Hostage Taking (Barricade Incident) |
| Successful Attack? (more) | Yes |
| Target Type: Business | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Freddy's Fashion Mart | ||
| Specific Description | Store | ||
| Nationality of Target | United States | ||
| Hostages | Yes |
| Number of Hostages | 7 |
| US Hostages | 6 |
| Hours of Kidnapping | 1 |
| Outcome | Hostage(s) killed (not during rescue attempt) |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage | Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
| Value of Property Damage | Unknown |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Firearms | Handgun |
| Incendiary | Arson/Fire |
| Weapon Details | |
| A .38-caliber revolver and paint thinner. | |
| Suicide Attack? | Yes |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Additional Information | The victims who were wounded included employees Alan Grossberg, 35 and Isadew Chartan; and construction workers Patrick Glenn, 32 and Fronan O'Shea. The victims who were killed were store employees: Kareem Brunner, 23; Garnette Ramantar, 43; Olga Garcia, 19; Angelina Marrero, 19; Cynthia Martinez, 19; Luz Ramos, 21, and Mayra Rentas, 22. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Black Nationalists | No |
| Number of Perpetrators | 1 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | Unknown |
| Total Number of Casualties | 8 Fatalities / 4 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 8 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 7 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 1 |
| Total Number of Injured | 4 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 3 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| Pam Belluck, "Death on 125th Street: The Overview; Police Say Killer in Harlem Fire Was a Laborer and a Protester," The New York Times, December 11, 1995. |
| John Kifner, "Gunman and 7 others Die in Blaze at Harlem Store: Police See Link to Bitter Clash on Eviction," The New York Times, December 9, 1995. |
| John J. Goldman, "8 Die as Gunman Sets Afire N.Y. Store Tied to Dispute: Violence: Harlem shop had been target of protests over clash between white owner and another business," Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1995. |
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