Stuart, FL, USA

Friday, 13 March 2009

Shooting in Stuart at 'crunk' DeJa Vu Nightclub injures two

Police are investigating a Friday morning shooting at the Deja Vu Nightclub that sent one Stuart man to a trauma center in serious condition and another to a local hospital, officials said.

Police responded to the club, situated in the corner of a plaza at the Roosevelt Bridge’s north end, about 2 a.m., after receiving a call that a fight had broken out in the bar’s parking lot.

Aaron Stoudemire, 23, of the 1600 block of S. Dixie Highway, was flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach after being shot once with a handgun, Stuart Police Detective Michael Gerwan said.

“He received a bullet wound to the chest area; it entered his arm and traveled to his chest,” Gerwan said midday Friday. “Right now he is stable, but he’s listed in serious condition.”

Stuart resident Donovan Williams, 24, of the 3000 block of Ellendale Street, was not shot during the melee, but suffered minor injuries, Gerwan said, and was taken to Martin Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Police are still investigating, but Gerwan said it’s clear a large fight had erupted outside the club before a shot rang out.

Its unclear what prompted the fight, or if the shooter was male or female.

“There was a fight, somebody pulled out a gun and Aaron Stoudemire got shot and Mr. Williams was also hurt during the altercation,” he said. “I do not know if they were directly involved in the altercation or they were innocent bystanders. It’s not determined at this time.”

No one is in custody for the shooting, he said, and they’re working to develop suspects in the case.

“We’re still developing leads as we speak,” said Gerwan. “We have four detectives beating the streets right now.”

The shooting occurred just as officers drove into the parking lot.

“There were a lot of people fighting and a lot of people scattering all over the parking lot,” he said. “It was a big mess.”

Gerwan couldn’t say how many people were involved in the fight, but noted the club usually attracts “a few hundred” people on weekend nights.

Deja Vu manager Chuck Suarez said on Thursday night, nothing unusual had occurred inside the club before the shooting.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Suarez said. “There were no fights inside.”

Alberta Kartner, co-owner of the neighboring D&B Billiards, said she was surprised about the shooting, noting the club has had a significant amount of security there in the past.

The club’s MySpace.com web page describes it as the “heart & pulse of the club scene on the Treasure Coast.” The mood is listed as “crunk.”