NYC Boat Party Spurs Fatal Gunfight

One man was fatally shot after a brawl aboard a party boat spilled into New York City's tourist-friendly South Street Seaport early Saturday, witnesses said.

Omar Trent, a 31-year-old from Brooklyn, was shot in the head shortly before 4:30 a.m. Saturday after an argument escalated into bottle-throwing and gunfire at the complex of shops, restaurants and maritime attractions in lower Manhattan, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Workers at the complex said the fight started on the docked Atlantica, a three-level yacht that often hosts weekend parties.

Perry Rumnit, who works aboard the Atlantica, told the New York Post that he locked himself and others in the boat's galley to escape the "chaotic" scene.

Workers at nearby businesses, who asked not to be identified, arrived Saturday morning to see the victim's body, covered by a tarp behind yellow police tape.

Police said Saturday afternoon that the investigation was continuing.

Calls to Seaport managers were not immediately returned. Calls to Intercoastal Ventures LLC of Manhattan, the Atlantica's owners, were not answered Saturday.