Two people died and five were injured Sunday after an early morning shooting at a restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky in what police said appears to have started between restaurant-goers and people on the street.
About 3 a.m. Sunday, Louisville Metro Police Department officers responded to a shooting call at Southern Restaurant and Lounge, where they found a man had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to information from police spokesperson Dwight Mitchell and local media outlets.
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Several other people were taken to the University of Louisville Hospital., the Courier-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. One man died earlier in the day from his injuries, said Greenberg. Four others are recovering.
As of Sunday night no suspect information was available, police reported.
“Our thoughts are with these victims and their families,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a Sunday afternoon news conference.
A sixth person was located at Jewish Hospital, and their condition was unknown, police said. Police commander Maj. Shannon Lauder told local media at a news conference Sunday morning that the sixth person’s injury may have been due to a fall related to the shooting.
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Some 200-300 people at restaurant
Lauder also said that the shooting started between restaurant-goers and people on the street. There were no other details on how the violence started, outlets reported. There were approximately 200 to 300 people at the location, police officials said at the conference. Louisville fire officials previously determined that the facility’s capacity is 105 people, Lt. Col. Ryan Bates said Sunday afternoon.
There have been other measures to address problems at the Southern Restaurant and Lounge, Greenberg said. The mayor and the building’s landlord have worked together to terminate the lease, which will take effect Aug. 31.
Brad Silveria, the local Alcohol Beverage Control administrator, has also reached out to state officials to apply for termination of the establishment’s license. If granted, business operations would cease immediately, Silveria said.
Greenberg called on Metro Council to start conversations with the city administration and the community to determine whether some bars should be allowed to stay open until 4 a.m.
“We will enforce our laws and ordinances,” Greenberg said. “There are too many of these incidents happening in the middle of the night when bars and clubs are the only businesses that are still open. We must do more to address our gun violence epidemic.”
