Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - "I was extremely livid and disappointed," said Fillmore District Common Council member Mitch Nowakowski, as he reacted to the latest in a string of shootings this year in or near Club Marcella on Michigan Avenue in Buffalo.
The latest occurring around 2:30 a.m. EST on Sunday morning. A 30-year-old male was shot in the bathroom. He was taken to ECMC and is in stable condition.
It is the fourth such incident this year.
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In previous incidents, a security guard was shot in the parking lot in January.
In February, a 21-year-old was killed and two others injured in a
shooting inside the club. And In October, two people were injured
in a targeted shooting across the street from the club.
"I spoke to the Police Commissioner early Sunday morning and we worked through the closure. I fully support the shutdown. There's serious issues
that have to be addressed," said Nowakowski on WBEN Monday morning.
He wants the community to know that the owners of the club are cooperating with police and have spent a lot of resources on security; from fences and a vast surveillance camera system to metal detectors and security guards.
"I'm completely perplexed at how someone was able to bring a weapon
into the club," he added.
Sunday night Nowakowski was with the B District Police Chief and saw for himself, metal detectors, and cameras at every corner. "I'm completely baffled at how anyone could get in there with a weapon. That sent extreme alarm bells to me and that's why I support the commissioner's action to close down the club.
Next, the city department of permits and inspections, the police department
and Council Member Nowakowski will meet with the owners and discuss
whether the police commissioner will ever have an appetite to reopen the club.
"I think it needs to close for a while so that the owners can figure out what is attracting individuals to bring weapons into their club. There has to be some form of self reflection of a culture that's inviting this behavior," he said.