Previously: Photo Gallery: One Dead, Four Injured In Shooting Outside Wharf-Area Bar
Elsewhere: Club Connected To Fisherman’s Wharf Shooting Closed KCBS
A San Francisco nightclub that was the scene of a shooting early Sunday morning that left one person dead and four others injured agreed today to temporarily close its doors, according to the mayor’s office.
The Suede nightclub at 383 Bay St., near Fisherman’s Wharf, has been the scene of violent incidents in the past, city officials said.
On Sunday at about 1:40 a.m. shots were fired into a crowd that had gathered outside the club, killing 19-year-old Lawon Hall, of Richmond, and injuring four other male victims, two severely, police said.
Tony Winnicker, spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom, said today that Suede management has agreed to voluntarily close the club for the next 30 days.
“Clearly more needs to be done,” Winnicker said. “The mayor thinks it’s not acceptable. It can’t stand.”
In addition to the risk to public safety, Winnicker cited “a significant drain on public resources.” Police routinely patrol the area, and reportedly more than 60 officers were called to the scene of the shooting over the weekend, he said.
However, Winnicker said it was “premature” to call for the club’s permanent closure.
District Supervisor David Chiu said the city’s Entertainment Commission had previously ordered a temporary suspension of the club’s license. He added that he has asked various city departments to look into “whatever tools the city has to shut them down.”
“They have clearly not demonstrated their ability to keep our neighborhood safe and to ensure public safety,” Chiu said.
City attorney’s office spokesman Jack Song said today that his office is receiving reports from police on the club and is “evaluating the situation,” but has not yet taken any legal action.
On Sunday night, an anonymous, handwritten note was taped to the club’s front window. It read, “1 person was killed here last night. Get out of our neighborhood. We will not put up with violence.”
A 20-year-old Richmond man suspected in the shooting was himself shot by a patrol special police officer assigned to the area on the night of the shooting, police said. The suspect was hospitalized and later arrested. His name has not yet been released.
Police are investigating the possibility of a second suspect in the shooting but have not yet made any further arrests.
Homicide Lt. Mike Stasko said today that the shooting may have been prompted by a verbal argument inside the club that spilled out onto the street.
“That’s one of the angles we’re pursuing,” he said.
The investigation is being hampered by some “uncooperative witnesses having memory failure,” Stasko said.
Police are also investigating whether the shooting was related to an overflow crowd at a nearby hotel.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police Department’s confidential tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411.
