Out like a lion

Thirty-seven year old Louis Greenberg, who had a long police record and was known as a bookie, was hanging out in an East Village pool hall on this date in 1924. He heard somebody outside calling for him so he and his friend Max Kanowitz, who was also the proprietor of said pool hall, went outside. Across the street was a taxi. Two men were inside and two men were standing on the running board all opened fire on the duo. Greenberg dropped dead with a bullet in the head and Kanowitz dropped with a couple of wounds and died en-route to the hospital. Police felt that the killers had intended on just getting Greenberg and that it was Kanowitz bad luck for following him outside. The only motive the cops could come up with was that it was either a bootlegging feud or some more warring between the "Little Augie" gang and the remnants of "Kid Dropper's" gang.

For more info on the Kid Dropper/Little Augie feud check out Gangster City