Dapper Man Wanted For Shooting Carroll Gardens Eatery, Police Say

CARROLL GARDENS, NY — Police released surveillance footage over the weekend of a dapperly dressed man who shot up a popular Court Street Italian restaurant with ties to the Mafia.

The man — who wore a fedora and waist-length coat — is suspected of firing several bullets into the storefront of the Marco Polo Ristorante, at 345 Court S., while it was closed on Feb. 25, police said.

The shooter hit the storefront while it was empty at about 6 a.m. and an employee coming to work discovered the bullet holes at about 9 a.m., police said.

No injuries were reported in the shooting.

The co-owner of the spot told the New York Post his restaurant got hit during a gunfight between rival gangs from Gowanus and Red Hook, but sources told the paper the shooting was a "message" to owners.

Police described the shooter as between 6-feet to 6-foot 2-inches tall with a thin build and last seen wearing the fedora, a dark colored waist length coat and light pants.

Marco Polo first opened in 1983 by Joseph Chirico and became a popular spot for politicians, judges and local leaders to dine.

Chirico pleaded guilty in 2008 to laundering money for the Gambino crime family, but he avoided jail time after former Borough Presidents Marty Markowitz and Howard Golden wrote letters of praise for him, the New York Daily News reported.

Image: NYPD