Two dead, one hurt in Summer Avenue nightclub shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An overnight shooting at a nightclub in the Highland Heights area left two people dead and one injured Wednesday morning.

Memphis Police responded to a shooting at the James Lounge along Summer Avenue near Pope Street around 1:30 a.m.

Two men were pronounced dead on the scene, and another was taken to Regional One Hospital in critical condition, police say. Several vehicles in the parking lot were also covered in bullet holes.

At this time, no suspect information has been released.

Angela Morgan lives near the club and says a crowd of people gathered outside her home after the shooting.

“We heard the police pushing the people away. We heard the gunshots and people running,” Morgan said. “I asked the lady what happened. She said that there was a driveby. There was people shooting.”

Some people living in the area say the problem lies not with the club but in the neighborhood.

“It’s not the club so much. It’s the neighborhood. It’s somebody out here getting killed every day,” Morgan said.

However, others disagree.

“Everybody comes from different neighborhoods driving down the street 100 miles per hour,” a man who lives in the area said.

In 2015, the club was shut down by the district attorney’s office after being declared a public nuisance.

James Lounge has also been the scene of a deadly shooting before. A man was killed outside the club in 2019. A security guard was shot while breaking up a fight in 2020 .

This is also the second nightclub shooting this month. Last week four people were shot at Focuz Lounge, which is 10 minutes away from James Lounge.

Morgan says she’s just tired of the violence. “This is my neighborhood I grew up in, and it’s sad seeing people get killed all the time,” Morgan said.

If you have any information that could help police, call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

This is a developing story. WREG will provide updates as they become available.

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