Man Shot Dead at Pole-Dancing Studio, Naked Dancers Flee Into Night
Steven Mussington, 32, was reportedly shot in the head at Foxy Fitness & Pole Training Studios on the morning of October 15. An after-hours party was said to be underway, with witnesses claiming that dancers fled the studio in fright. A suspect remains at large.
| 18 Oct 2023 | 11:37
Ashely Fox, pictured left, is the owner and co-founder of the studio where the shooting occurred. (
)
The Foxy Fitness & Pole Training Studios, where a 32 year-old man was reportedly shot dead on the morning of October 15. (
)
Dancers on a training pole at a Foxy Fitness studio. (
)
A man was shot in the stairwell of a pole-dancing studio–near the Koreatown enclave–in the wee hours of October 15. NYPD officers arrived to find 32 year-old Steven Mussington with a bullet wound to the head, with EMS respondents pronouncing him dead on the scene. Mussington was reportedly a Harlem resident.
Chaos reportedly reigned at Foxy Fitness & Pole Training Studios after the shooting, which according to some reports was hosting an after-hours party. A security guard told the New York Post that “girls were naked, screaming, saying someone got killed. A lot of people ran into the store over there, getting dressed.” He repeated for emphasis that the girls “were naked” as they fled into the frigid early morning, with the temperature sitting around 50° Fahrenheit.
The studio, located at 355 Seventh Ave. & 30th St., is on the second floor of a building that hosts a pizza parlor on the ground level. A sister studio is located in West New York, New Jersey.
According to the studio, its mission is to provide “a safe learning environment both in-person and online, where everyone is empowered to progress at their own pace regardless of physique/skill level/movement background. We are proud of our diverse community and encourage all folx to join the Foxy Family.”
In addition to dance instruction, the studio’s website said it also hosts private events and parties.
An investigation by the NYPD into a possible suspect is ongoing. No arrests have been made, with no photo of a possible perpetrator being circulated publicly. Partygoers that stayed behind at the studio were reportedly questioned by cops. The cause of the shooting remains a mystery.
The company was founded in 2011 by Ashley Fox, who could not be reached for comment as of press time. According to the studio’s scheduling calendar, it will remain closed for the week.
According to crime data, murder incidents have been on the decline in the Midtown South precinct where the shooting occurred. Six murders were recorded at this time 2022, compared to three so far this year.