By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — The shooting death of a Harlem man outside an Upper West Side bar Sunday surprised locals, who say the Noco Bar & Lounge has a pleasant atmosphere that draws Columbia University students.
Floyd Miller, a 25-year-old Harlem resident, was shot to death outside Noco Bar & Lounge at West 109th Street and Columbus Avenue about 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning, police said.
Miller had a criminal history including arrests for robberies during which he allegedly beat his victims and stole their jackets, the Daily News reported.
Miller, the father of a young son, was shot during a sidewalk fight that started inside the bar, according to the News.
Police said Miller walked into Harlem Hospital on West 135th Street and Lenox Avenue with a gunshot wound to his torso and died a short time later. Miller was apparently driven to the hospital by someone, the News reported.
"It's unfortunate that that happened ," said Edward, a local resident who was at Noco Bar on Saturday several hours before the shooting. "It's actually a really nice place. You never see fights there, that's why they don't have bouncers."
Edward, who didn't want to give his last name, said the bar has a "good atmosphere" that attracts Columbia University students.
Ceferino Inoa, owner of Garcia Hardware & Houseware across West 109th Street from the bar, said he was surprised by the violence.
"It's a good bar," Inoa said. "I've never heard of fights there, ever. It's nice people, you know?"
The bar, once known as La Negrita and then 999, has been under new management since last June, said a bar regular who didn't want his name used. Noco Bar & Lounge now hosts more parties, the regular said.
A sign in the bar's window reads, "Noco is a neighborhood bar that takes it up a level with a laid back lounge area and cool DJs on the weekend." A call to a phone number listed on the sign wasn't returned immediately Monday.
The shooting death is the second homicide this year in the 24th Precinct, which stretches from West 86th Street to West 110th Street between Central Park West and the Hudson River.
A man died after being shot outside a deli on Amsterdam Avenue and West 102nd Street in January. The 24th Precinct reported two homicides in 2010.
