City looks into possible crime activity at Club Medallion in wake of shooting

Columbus law enforcement officials are pulling incident reports on Club Medallion in the wake of a shooting that injured two men on the weekend, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson said Monday.

If the city determines that the nightclub on Midtown Drive has become a haven for criminal activity, the mayor said she will send a letter to club owners notifying them of the city’s concerns. It would be similar to action taken in 2013 before the city shut down Club Majestic on Cusseta Road, she said.

“Of course, there’s an ongoing investigation so I can’t talk about any specifics, other than the fact that there was a shooting there,” the mayor said Monday in an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer. “There are also some inconsistencies of some of the witnesses about exactly where it took place - meaning inside or outside of the building - but our investigators are on it.

“In any event, any time there is a shooting, particularly at an establishment where there’s alcohol being served, we’re gravely alarmed,” she said. “And so we automatically begin to look at other events that may be happening there, whether this was a freak outlier or whether they have a lot of calls for illicit activity such as prostitution, drugs or violence.”

Two men were shot outside of Club Medallion early Sunday before rap artist Moneybagg Yo was set to perform at the nightclub, Columbus Police Cpl. Kelly Phillips said

The victims, who suffered from non life-threatening injuries, were transported to Midtown Medical Center. One man is in stable condition, and the other is in fair condition as of Monday morning, said Columbus Regional Spokeswoman Jessica Word.

A woman who was also injured during the incident went to a Phenix City hospital for treatment, but officials have yet to confirm whether she was struck or grazed by a bullet.

Tomlinson and Columbus Council shut down Club Majestic in 2013 after the fatal shooting of Charles Foster, a CSU student who was scheduled to graduate that spring. At the time, officials described the property as a public nuisance due to constant reports of violence and criminal activity. In January, the city purchased the property in an effort to revitalize the area.

On Monday, Tomlinson said Club Medallion will receive the same level of scrutiny.

“The chief will make a recommendation to me,” she said. “And I will determine whether or not we send a letter like we did to the owners of Majestic putting them on notice that we believe that they are running a criminal haven or something that’s otherwise dangerous to the community and that under certain Georgia statutes we can take particular actions.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 5:25 PM with the headline "City looks into possible crime activity at Club Medallion in wake of shooting."