Cee-lo Dice Game Dispute Likely Led to New York City Bloodbath

Four people were killed and four others were injured during a dice game-related argument that turned deadly Saturday in a New York illegal gambling den, police said.

Among the deceased is Chester Goode, 37, who may have initiated the shooting when he fired a gun, possibly a 9 mm handgun, into the ceiling of the Triple A Aces Private Social Rental Place. It is in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Goode and his companions were apparently losing money during the game, according to The New York Post. He either wanted his money back or possibly attempted a robbery, police speculated in media reports.

The argument may have related to a dice game known as Cee-lo. It is typically played with three six-sided dice.

It traces its origins to China, but now is also played in some US cities. In recent years, the game was made popular in hip-hop songs.

Some of the other approximately 20 people inside the private social club were playing poker at the time of the shooting, the report said. Police found numerous hundred dollars bills and hands of cards on tables at the bloody scene.

The detective told us it was a case of someone who thought they were cheated and wanted their money back, plus other people’s money,” Eddie Baldwin, the brother of one of the deceased, was quoted by The Post.

One of the victims was the club’s bouncer, according to The New York Times. Identified as Dominick Wimbush, 47, he apparently died in an exchange of gunfire with Goode, the report said.

Three of the other shooting victims required medical attention after 15 or more rounds were fired, The Post said. A fourth person hurt his leg when fleeing the scene.

New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said the gambling operation was unlicensed. The location was believed to be used as a social club and the dice game was held after hours.

There are a host of these kinds of venues that are operating in NYC. Some are law-abiding, others don’t have the proper permits and operate under the radar, praying that incidents like this [don’t] happen,” Community Advocate Tony Herbert of the New York Multi-Cultural Restaurant Nightlife Chamber of Commerce was quoted by The Post.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that the NYPD “recovered two guns and is questioning persons of interest in the incident.” Security cameras are believed to have captured the incident.

On Friday, five men were shot in a courtyard in Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood during a game of dice, CBS 3 TV news reported. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

At least 17 rounds were fired, according to police. A resident told the station that the dice game takes place frequently in that Philadelphia location.

Last year, seven NYPD officers, including several vice squad detectives, were charged with abetting an and prostitution ring that had been operating for several years in Brooklyn and Queens.

In May, one of the officers, Ludwig Paz, 51, of Queens, a retired NYPD vice detective, pleaded guilty in connection with the $2 million-a-year illegal operation. In July, he was sentenced to between four and 12 years in prison, according to the Queens Daily Eagle.