Man shot dead during botched jewelry robbery outside NYC strip club

A 49-year-old man was shot dead during a botched jewelry robbery outside a Queens strip club early this morning, cops and sources said.The victim was in front of the Riviera Gentleman’s Club at Steinway Street and 35th Avenue in Astoria around 3:50 a.m.when a masked mugger approached him from behind, according to authorities.The brute tried to take the victim’s jewelry before opening fire, hitting him in the back, law enforcement sources said. The victim – who was not immediately identified – was taken to the Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.   Cops couldn’t say if he had been patronizing the club.

The gunman, seen wearing a black mask, fled empty-handed in a white vehicle and had not been caught several hours later, police said. Several years ago, two men were shot during a brawl outside the same establishment – also in the pre-dawn hours, officials said then.As the February 2018 fight escalated, a man pulled out a gun and opened fire, striking one victim, 33, in the torso, and another, 29, in the ankle, cops said.Both victims were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries....