State and local lawmakers are calling for changes to how nightclubs operate after this weekend's deadly shooting a club in New Haven. On Saturday, Mayor John DeStefano proposed fees for nightclubs in districts where a heavy police presence is required, police licensing and training of private security, and changes to authorization and review of club and alcohol licenses.
Both Mayor DeStefano and Governor Dannel Malloy have pointed fingers at the clubs for the violence. Malloy called them "extremely dangerous."
"To not see the connection here with the clubs is to misunderstand what is happening," said DeStefano.
The shooting at the Key Club Cabaret strip club left one person dead and injured five others early Saturday morning. Police reportedly chased a suspect after gunfire erupted from inside the club, but nobody was apprehended. The New Haven Register reports the investigation is being aided by high-quality surveillance video.
At this weekend's press conference, New Haven police Chief Dean Esserman said the deceased victim was not the intended target but they think they know who was.
