Less than a day after two men were rushed to hospital after an overnight shooting near a north side nightclub, city officials have temporarily suspended the bar’s license.
The suspension comes less than a day after police responded to the area of Victoria Trail and 133 Avenue just after 2:00 a.m. – on reports of an injured male being found at a home near the Chrome Lounge.
The owner of the home woke up to the sound of the wounded man at his front door.
“Just about 2:00 in the morning, somebody was hammering on my front door, calling for help,” Charles, the homeowner – who asked CTV News to conceal his last name – said. “So I called police.
“He was just screaming for help, in lots of pain.”
Moments later, officers were called to investigate reports of gunshots at the nearby bar.
"Shortly thereafter we received reports of a potential shooting in the area of the Chrome Lounge here," said EPS Inspector Dean Hilton. "Our members responded to both areas and, at the end, we were able to locate two male subjects who apparently sustained some type of injuries to their lower legs."
EPS Acting Staff Sgt. Ahmed Akarout confirmed later that the two men are suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims are expected to recover.
On Friday afternoon, police said they had identified a person of interest in connection to the interest.
Later, investigators confirmed the shooting happened inside the bar, where a concert was being held – and police said the venue was “really full”.
On Friday afternoon, a letter was delivered to bar owners effectively shutting down the operation for ten days.
City officials said the Public Safety Compliance Team asked the city to exercise emergency powers and take action under the Municipal Government Act.
In part, the letter delivered to the owners states:
“This recent escalation of dangerous occurrences, the serious harm to patrons, the unknown nature of responsible parties, the unknown motives behind the shooting and the ongoing investigation demand the city take steps to eliminate an emergency situation.”
The suspension could be extended if need be.
Police are looking for any witnesses to the incident that could help shed more light on what happened.
“We’ve tried to locate some witnesses,” Insp. Hilton said. “The important part is trying to find people that are going to help us put the pieces together and determine what happened.”
This is not the first time a violent incident has occurred at the bar.
In October, 2011 police were called to the area after a man was slashed with a broken bottle.
At the time, the police report stated the bar was very crowded at the time – the Public Safety Compliance Team was called in to verify whether the business was following proper Liquor and Gaming Commission.
The location was also the site of another shooting in 2008.
In September of that year shots were heard in the area – investigators found seven bullet casings in the parking lot – but no injuries were reported.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Edmonton Police Service non-emergency line at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
With files from Amanda Anderson
