CLINTON HILL — A 27-year-old man has been arrested in the shooting death of a Brooklyn man in a neighborhood diner over the weekend, police said.
Tyrone Gainer has been charged with murder for allegedly gunning down Jason Lewis, 34, after an argument in the Country House Diner on Fulton Street, near Vanderbilt Avenue, according to the NYPD.
He was awaiting arraignment Monday morning at Brooklyn Criminal Court.
The beef began about 5 a.m. when Gainer approached Lewis' girlfriend. Lewis stepped in, and an enraged Gainer reportedly slugged Lewis.
“Why’d you smack me?” Lewis asked, the Daily News reported. “We don’t have to shed blood for this.”
The argument escalated, however, and Gainer pulled a gun, police said.
That's when he shot Lewis in the abdomen, according to the NYPD.
Lewis was rushed to Brooklyn Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead, cops said.
The younger Lewis was a landlord of several buildings and had three children — two boys, 6 and 14, and a 12-year-old daughter — his brother, Steve Lewis, said.
"They were very close to him. He was close to them," Steve Lewis, 57, said. "He was close to everyone."
Neighbors said Lewis — who worked in construction and reportedly was married — was always generous and supportive.
"Jason was sunshine," said a 50-year-old woman said Monday. "If you were feeling down about something, he'd put his arm around you.
"He was a great guy," the woman, who asked that her name not be used, added. "You won't find anyone who had anything bad to say about him, from the senior citizens on the block to the parents. He was a peacemaker."
Workers at the diner said Lewis was a regular who also owned a van business and was in a relationship with a police officer.
According to the New York Post, Lewis' unidentified girlfriend had been in a relationship with one of Gainer's friends.
Gainer, who sources said has several prior arrest, including menacing and tampering with evidence, was also charged with related weapons charges, police said.
"I just hope he stays in there and doesn't come out," the victim's brother said. "I hope he dies in there."
