GREENSBORO — Yet another nightclub is closing on a temporary basis because of “safety concerns,” according to an email from the city.
Darryl Cagle, owner of Southside Johnny’s, has been cooperative with investigators after a fatal shooting occurred at the strip club recently, Assistant City Manager Trey Davis said Friday. Cagle could not immediately be reached for comment.
The club has been the scene of at least two other, non-fatal shootings in the past 18 months. Police do not suspect that the shootings are connected.
Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Because active shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes, before law enforcement arrives on the scene, individuals must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation. Here are some good practices for coping with an active shooter situation.
Still, the latest incident was enough to trigger an inspection by the city’s Safety Review Board, whose mission is to ensure nightspots such as Southside Johnny’s are safe environments for patrons.
“If you have these type of incidents occurring in this short span of time, then it gets our attention,” Davis said.
People are also reading…
However, improvements being asked of business owners, as was the case with the former operators of The Blind Tiger, don’t always pertain to security upgrades. Because of that, some have questioned whether the board needs to exist.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan isn’t one of them.
“I’m glad we have the safety plan in place,” she said on Friday. “It gives us a structure to hold people accountable.”
Shortly before 3 a.m. last Sunday, Greensboro police responded to the club at 6400 W. Market St. and found seven people with gunshot wounds. Cedric Cantrell Monroe, 36, died from his injuries. The other victims had non-life threatening injuries.
The incident occurred after an altercation broke out between two groups inside the establishment, police spokeswoman Josie Cambareri said previously. It was not immediately clear how many people fired weapons and there have been no arrests.
Inspections under the auspices of the Safety Review Board revealed nine violations — seven of which were remaining from an inspection performed in October 2022, Davis said in the email. All of the violations were considered minor and none posed life-threatening or imminent danger, he said.
Among the violations the city found were improper storage of combustible materials; electrical hazards; an improperly secured toilet and sink; no bathroom lock for privacy; exit signs and emergency lights in disrepair; and damage to an outdoor shed.
An administrative hearing is scheduled for late February at the city’s Code Compliance Office. If the violations are corrected beforehand, the hearing and corresponding order to repair will not be necessary, the city said.
According to Davis, Cagle and city officials discussed “ways to address safety and security concerns.”
“He even has some concerns himself regarding the current configuration of his business and in how he can maintain safety,” Davis said Friday.
In the club’s earlier incidents, shootings were reported in July 2021 and February 2022. In each case, the report involved a single victim with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening.
The City Council created the Safety Review Board in December 2021 to evaluate violent incidents at restaurants, clubs and bars. At the time, then-Police Chief Brian James told elected officials that “nightlife” is one of the root causes of violent crime in Greensboro.
The review board’s creation was designed to curb incidents at such establishments by creating a system to prevent future problems.
“We started this (board) not to close businesses down. It is to help businesses,“ Davis said. “But our first priority is to the community and the people that come here to go to these establishments.”
