City Attorney's office wants to shut down Avalon Night Club, site of fatal June shooting

The Columbus City Attorney's office has filed a motion seeking to shut down a nightclub where two people died in a June shooting.

The city wants to close Avalon Night Club at 205 N. 5th Street in the Downtown area. The city attorney's office said the property's owners had ignored previous court orders.

Columbus police have been called to the club 78 times since January 2023, resulting in nearly 30 police reports, including fights and several reports of guns being stolen out of vehicles.

The club's owners could not be reached for comment.

Since Jan. 1, there have been at least six reports of assaults, fights or shootings at the club. Those include a June 14 shooting in which two people died and two others suffered injuries .

What happened during the Avalon Night Club shooting?

According to court records, the shooting began after a patron tried to enter the bar with a gun and exchanged shots with club security.

Desmond Taylor, 27, and Ceilin Smith, 36, died from their injuries. Columbus police named Jaquez Hoover, 26, as a suspect in the shooting and in a warrant charging him with murder. He remains at large.

The Columbus City Attorney's office said in the court filing that the club's security, including the security company's owner, on the night of the shooting was properly licensed as required by the Ohio Revised Code.

The City Attorney's office had taken steps in Franklin County Municipal Court to hold the owners of the club and the property accountable, according to this week's filing. Those steps included court orders requiring at least special duty police officers in the club's parking lot while it was in operation and requiring properly licensed security personnel on-site.

The City Attorney's office also said that since June 14, attempts have been made to conduct inspections at the club to ensure compliance with various state regulations for businesses with liquor permits. However, those inspections have not been allowed to take place.

A hearing is set for later this month to determine if the property and club owners violated court orders and determine what measures, including the possible closure of the club, might take place.

bbruner@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: City Attorney's office wants to shut down Avalon Night Club, site of fatal June shooting