After-hours club shut down after double homicide
A South Franklinton after-hours club operating out of a warehouse has been shut down by the Columbus City Attorney’s office after a series of violent events tied to the location.
The warehouse, located at 754 Harmon Ave., had been operating as an after-hours club called “The Underground,” with the property’s owner advertising events on social media, many of which would begin at or continue past 2 a.m., according to City Attorney Zach Klein’s office.
An emergency order to close the location was obtained Thursday.
In documents related to the emergency order, complaints of loud music, parking issues and gunshots were detailed. This includes reports of at least one gun being stolen out of a vehicle, with other cars having firearms in plain
view while parked in the area.
“This illegal nightclub recklessly endangered the lives of patrons and the public,” Klein said. “That’s why the City moved swiftly to take action and shut it down.”
Around 2:20 a.m. on Feb. 26, Columbus police said they were called for a report of gunshots in the area of the afterhours club. The officers who went to the club saw more than 200 cars in the parking lot. A Columbus fire official came to the club and noted there was no occupancy permit for the premises, there was overcrowding and a wall inside the warehouse had collapsed.
Court records show everyone was ordered out of the club around 3:40 a.m. that morning. As patrons were leaving, a large fight started inside the club, prompting security officers inside the club to use pepper spray, causing a panic, court records said.
Around that same time, officers heard gunshots and saw a person throw a firearm under a vehicle in the parking area. Officers tried to speak with that person, according to court records, but they drove away, which prompted a short police pursuit that ended when the suspect’s vehicle crashed a short distance away.
A week later, around 3:30 a.m. on March 5, Columbus police saw more than 50 cars in the parking lot of the warehouse and in the immediate area, according to court records. Tow trucks were called to impound vehicles that were parked illegally on surrounding streets, prompting a “mass exodus” from the club, court documents said.
Again, as the crowd was leaving, gunshots were heard by officers, and moments later, a triple shooting was reported about a quarter-mile away.
Ziyadah Brown, 28, and David J. Thomas, 27, were found shot in a vehicle that had crashed near Mound and Souder Avenues. Both died from their injuries. A third person was also shot but survived their injuries.
Klein’s office said the need for an emergency order to close down the warehouse was exacerbated by those two events, as well as an event posted by the property owner on social media that was scheduled for March 18.
A hearing on the order will be held on March 20, according to court records. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner