Video shows gunman shoot, kill filmmaker friend of Ice-T, Nas

NEW YORK - The NYPD is searching for two suspects involved in the Queens shooting death of a filmmaker who was friends with rappers ICE-T and Nas.

Police say that at 11:18 p.m. on Thursday, Joseph "Taheim" Bryan, 50, was sitting inside of a car in front of a luxury apartment building at 28-10 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City.

Security footage caught one of the suspects, apparently on the phone, entering a parking garage. Moments later, seemingly still on the phone, the gunman exits the garage and approaches Bryan's car, pull a firearm and firing several shots into the driver's side. 

Authorities say the gunman then ran away, getting into a dark-colored SUV driven by another unidentified suspect on Queens Boulevard. 

Credit: NYPD

Bryan, who was struck by multiple bullets, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital by EMS, where he was pronounced dead. 

According to the New York Daily News, Bryan grew up with the legendary rapper Nas in the Queensbridge Houses, and had his first movie, "Equal Standard," a drama about racism and law enforcement, produced by Ice-T. 

"I’m not in a good place behind this," Ice-T tweeted in response to the killing. "Taheim was a GOOD dude making Positive moves. He wrote & we made the film Equal Standard together. He leaves a Wife & Daughter."

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

Police say all calls are strictly confidential.

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Credit: NYPD