Nearly three months after a Buckhead nightclub shooting killed two patrons and injured four more, the City of Atlanta has gained the ability to shutter the establishment after a ruling by a Fulton County Superior Court judge.
Judge Rachelle Carnesale determined that Elleven45 Lounge is a public nuisance after two days of oral arguments by the city and defense attorneys for club and property owner Djibril Dafe, Atlanta News First reported.
Elleven45 has a history of illegal activity. During court proceedings, evidence showed Dafe owes the city more than $78,000 in water bills, and is in arrears to the club’s landlord, Bennett Street Properties. Dafe was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failing to surrender himself on unrelated charges of identity theft fraud.
Killed in the Elleven45 Mother’s Day shooting were college student Mari Creighton, 21, and Nakyris M. Ridley, 20, who police said was the intended target. Creighton’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the nightclub.
After the shooting, Elleven45, located at 2110 Peachtree Road, closed to “review and enhance” its security protocols, according to a social media post. The club never reopened.
“This court has found that Elleven45 is in fact a public nuisance, and petitioners request the court issue an order permanently enjoining and prohibiting respondents from holding events, serving patrons, or conducting and/or allowing any other manner of operation on the property as set forth in the petition and the amended petition is hereby granted,” Judge Carnesale said in her ruling.
Nearly 5,000 people signed a 2020 change.org petition asking city officials to shut Elleven45 down in part because of the number of shootings at the venue.