Spumoni Gardens pizza restaurant owner Louis Barbati dead in shooting

NEW YORK -- A manhunt was underway on Friday after the co-owner of an iconic Brooklyn restaurant, L&B Spumoni Gardens, was found shot to death, CBS New York reports.

It happened around 7 p.m. Thursday.

Officers responding to a 911 call found 61-year-old Louis Barbati in the backyard of his family's home in the Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn shot multiple times in the torso, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Barbati's wife and two sons were all inside the home when the gunfire erupted.

"We have people that say a male, white, in his 30s with a hoodie ran westbound on 76th Street towards 11th Avenue," NYPD Deputy Chief Vincent DiDonato said.

Barbati was a fourth-generation co-owner of his family's popular restaurant in the Bensonhurst neighborhood.

On Friday morning, members of the community were in disbelief wondering who would want to murder the well-known family man and why.

"It's a big loss, it's a big loss," said resident Frankie Modafferi. "That pizzeria's been around for probably about 80 years now. It's a beloved place, and it's just sad to see someone die that gave back to the community."

So far, no arrests have been made. The investigation was ongoing.