Several news sources are today reporting that three members of New York based band the Yellow Dogs were killed on Sunday night (November 10th) by a gunman believed to be a former acquaintance of the group. According to the New York Post (via NME), the triple homicide took place in the Bushwick area of New York, and was perpetrated by a man using a military style rifle. The shooter killed drummer Soroush Farazmand, guitarist Arash Farazmand and the band's musician and author friend Ali Eskandarian before turning the gun on himself.
The Wall Street Journal claims that the shooter was Raefe Akhbar, a former acquaintance of the band. The band’s manager has offered the following statement regarding the identity of the killer:
The shooter was not a former member of the band the Yellow Dogs, he was in another band from Iran and the two groups were acquaintances in the past. A personal conflict between the guys resulted in the dissolution of their relationship in 2012.
The Yellow Dogs are a Post-Punk/Dance band from Terhan/Iran who were granted asylum in the U.S in 2010. The band was featured in the award winning documentary about music in Tehran, "No One Knows About Persian Cats," that was released in 2009.