Mount Dora officials vow

to step up police presence at a concert scheduled Sunday at the same venue where a man was shot to death six weeks ago.

Six weeks after the shooting death of a man linked to a Mount Dora concert that erupted in discord after it was oversold, city officials vowed Tuesday to take extra security measures at a rap concert slated Sunday at the same venue.

The performance could be delayed because of Hurricane Irma, but officials said they will take steps to avoid problems at any future concerts at Mieluz Grand Hall on Old Highway 441. After the most recent event there July 21 — dubbed “one of the biggest parties in Central Florida” — Steven Charlostin, 22, was found fatally shot about six blocks away.

The promoter oversold 500 tickets to the live DJ entertainment event that overflowed with traffic and resulted in impromptu parking lot parties that lasted into the early morning.

A handful of Mount Dora police officers and deputy sheriffs worked the event as security, but residents were alarmed that their quiet neighborhood was the scene of a homicide. Mount Dora police Chief John O’Grady sought Tuesday to allay those fears. Flanked by the mayor and the venue’s general manager and its owner, he said officers will patrol nearby subdivisions and — most importantly, he said — block off other nearby parking lots to keep the venue, which will feature a performance by Atlanta-based rapper Lucci, in check.

“We’re working with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office … to ensure a good traffic plan as well as any security around the building,” said the chief, later attributing the major problem to “hanger-ons” outside the venue.

Several days after the concert, a Mount Dora code-enforcement officer cited Mieluz Grand Hall for 28 violations, including blocked fire sprinklers, and deemed the building unsafe. But the business was able to fix the infractions and received a temporary occupancy certificate Aug. 11.

“We’re just trying to do everything by the books,” said BonJovani Aguilar, Mieluz’s general manager.

He said many of the precautions center on not overselling tickets — a comment echoed by other city leaders, who said they also checked out reported incidents at Lucci concerts.

In 2016, TMZ reported that it interviewed Lucci about a scuffle that broke out after a fan tried to step on stage. O’Grady said the police department checked Lucci’s background and found nothing worrisome.

The morning Charlostin was found dead on Sheridan Road, a blood trail led law officers to Rashad Bishop Findley in a nearby driveway, according to an arrest report. Findley was bleeding from a bullet wound and Charlostin had been shot in the head from the passenger seat, the report said.

Findley was charged with second-degree murder and deputies are looking for a third person they believe was at the scene.