By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
EAST VILLAGE — The family and friends of a man who was fatally shot outside a popular nightspot on Second Avenue placed a makeshift memorial outside the club Thursday despite the owner's request that it not go up.
Devin Thompson, 43, was shot twice in front of Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge at the corner of East Fifth Street a little before 4 a.m. on Aug. 22, police said. He died more than a week later from his injuries, and police are still searching for two suspects.
The victim's sister, Makeba Thompson, 41, said she decided to lay flowers and attach a photo of her brother to a tree outside the club because "it's what people do when they lose a family member or lose a loved one."
Thompson also noted that passersby who stopped while she was putting up the memorial didn't know the shooting had happened.
The club’s owner, Philip Quilter, told her last week he didn't want the memorial outside his establishment because it would draw negative attention to the location.
Quilter said last week that the memorial could cause more trouble for his club given that neighbors have long complained about noise and violence associated with the location.
But ultimately, Thompson said a small remembrance of her brother's life outweighed the owner's concerns about appearance.
"He's still going to have a club," Thompson said, "but we're not going to have a brother, and his son's not going to have a father."
Quilter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
