Derrick Bell Jr., 21, of Richmond, got into a dispute with two unidentified men inside Boondock Bay, at 2246 Jerrold Ave., and was chased outside and gunned down, San Francisco police Lt. John Murphy said.

Murphy said the club caters to a young crowd, many coming from the East Bay, and the shooting happened just before closing time early Saturday.

"The suspects chased him outside, he ran away and they shot him as many as 20 times,'' Murphy said, referring to the two unidentified men with whom Bell had quarreled.

Capt. Al Pardini, commander of Bayview police station, said Monday he contacted Entertainment Commission officials in February about security concerns at Boondock Bay and wrote a letter the following month seeking to have the club's permit suspended and its doors shut for up to 30 days.

"There were reports of gunfire during the Christmas holidays, there was an overcrowding situation over New Year's Eve that caused more than 90 officers to respond, and there was a subsequent shooting on Jan. 1,'' Pardini said.

Bob Davis, executive director for the city's Entertainment Commission, said the initial complaint by the police was investigated, but no action was taken by his agency on the advice of City Attorney Dennis Herrera's office. A spokesman for the city attorney declined comment.

He said members of his agency have met several times with the owner but no action was taken to close the club because security improvements and management changes were promised.

Shehadeh Mufid, the Boondock Bay owner, according to state records, could not be reached for comment Monday.

"There were some instances a few years ago, but things seemed to cool down,'' Davis said of the nightclub.

He attributed recent problems to excessive crowds at Boondock Bay, located just off Highway 101.

"Anybody coming home, who gets off the freeway, can drive by, and the crowds can all of a sudden get bigger, with text messages," Davis said. "What starts out as a very small crowd, can mushroom very quickly.''

Davis said he learned only last week of the follow-up letter sent by police in March.

In response, "we began looking at our possible actions,'' he said. "Then Sunday, I got a call about the shooting.''

In the short term, he said, the owner has agreed to close the place this weekend. "I told him he needed to close just as a cooling-off period,'' Davis said.

"We have absolutely been looking at this particular venue, and there has been beefed up security,'' he said. "It wasn't enough. I feel badly there was an incident.''