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Founder of Brooklyn street aquarium sentenced to 12 years for 2023 shooting

A man from Brooklyn, famous for creating a small aquarium under a leaking fire hydrant, was sentenced on Friday for a shooting in 2023. The incident happened near the aquarium.

Hajj Malik Lovick was sentenced to 12 years in prison for shooting Andre McNeil on June 15, 2023. The shooting took place outside a bar on Tompkins Avenue near Hancock Street, close to where Lovick and others later built the tiny aquarium called “Hood Pond.”

According to the criminal complaint, Lovick, 48, shot at McNeil and a group of people twice, hitting McNeil in the right leg.

Lovick pleaded with the judge, "I ask you to give me a chance, your honor," before being sentenced.

Lovick was found guilty in December of attempted murder, assault, illegal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, and using a firearm in a crime, said the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

Hajj Malik Lovick was given 12 years in prison for wounding Andre McNeil on June 15, 2023 outside a bar

Lovick and the 51-year-old victim, McNeil, had an argument outside a bar called Lovers Rock. Lovick, carrying a knife, pretended he was going to stab McNeil, who was unarmed. After the argument, Lovick left the area, but minutes later, he returned with a gun and fired twice, hitting McNeil and endangering others, according to the Brooklyn DA’s office. The shooting was caught on video.

At least 10 supporters attended Lovick’s sentencing. Lovick’s lawyer asked the judge to consider Lovick’s role as the founder and daily operator of the Bed-Stuy Aquarium, which aimed to support the community.

The judge said she considered Lovick’s standing in the community and the fact that he is the sole caretaker of his son. However, she stated that Lovick’s decision to get a gun and shoot “put that very community in grave danger.”

Lovick claimed there was a written statement from the victim saying Lovick did not shoot him.

After the sentence was given, Lovick was led from the courtroom as family and friends cried out, “I love you!”

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message that senseless acts of gun violence have no place in Brooklyn,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. He added that Lovick’s decision to open fire over a petty argument not only caused serious harm to the victim but also endangered innocent lives.

The summer after the shooting, while out on bail, Lovick noticed a leaking fire hydrant had created a small pool in the sidewalk and imagined fish living there. He then created the makeshift aquarium, calling it “Hood Pond.”

Local animal rights activists and city officials were worried that the fish wouldn’t survive. Some people even took the fish away at night.

City workers turned off the hydrant several times, but someone kept turning it back on.

In October, the fish were removed and the sidewalk was fixed.