Three people were killed and eight others wounded when "multiple gunmen" opened fire inside a New York City restaurant in Brooklyn early Sunday as the venue was closing.

At a press briefing, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said police responded to reports of a shooting at the Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights just before 3:30 a.m. local time.

The victims who died were identified as three men, aged 27, 35, and another whose age has not yet been determined.

Eight others who were injured were taken to nearby hospitals, though authorities did not provide details on their conditions.

‘Terrible thing’

Tisch further stated that "multiple shooters" were involved and have not yet been apprehended, adding that investigators recovered at least 36 shell casings from "multiple guns" at the scene.

"Currently, we have identified 11 victims ranging in age from 27 to 61, eight males and three females," she said.

“We have the lowest number of shooting incidents and shooting victims seven months into the year we’ve seen on record in the city of New York,” Tisch said.

“Something like this is, of course, thank God, an anomaly, and it’s a terrible thing that’s happened this morning.”

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.