Police ID person killed at Richmond night club
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - One man is dead and two others injured after a chaotic night at a South Richmond night club.
The shooting happened around 1 a.m. Monday in the Illusions Night Club at 6346 Midlothian Tpke. Police say several off-duty officers heard reports of the shooting and went inside. They found a man, identified as 21-year-old Jerquell Cheatham, dead with a gunshot wound.
"It is absolutely ridiculous," said community activist James "JJ" Minor. "How in the hell did that gun get inside of the nightclub?"
Two other people were injured. One was inside the club with a gunshot wound. A woman was also injured in the parking lot when she was hit by a car. Both victims were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"There should be no discussion on this," said Minor. They just need to shut it down." A local group called Coaches Against Violence Everywhere or CAVE has organized marches and now they've taken to Facebook polling their close to 2,000 members on possibly protesting outside the club. The idea is force the club to shut down.
"I can't say that that's the answer," said city council president Michelle Mosby. "We are working with the police diligently. We are working with the motel owners, and they are working with us."
Keep in mind, Illusions Night Club is attached to the Richmond Inn and Suites. It was also the site of an officer involved shooting back in April. Faith leaders demanded answers after, what they call, conflicting stories on whether the suspect actually had a gun.
According to police, officers have been called to the motel for five shootings, 22 violent crimes, and 156 suspicious incidents in the last four years, but police said those numbers are decreasing thanks to the cooperation of motel management.
"I do not believe that the owner would spend extra dollars to hire extra officers if the intent was not to try to comply," said Mosby.
Minor said he doesn't feel safe. "Not going to a club that doesn't have metal detectors," he said. "It should be mandatory. If this happened once... then guess what? Something like this is bound to happen again."
There was a heavy police presence and a crowd still on the scene through 4 a.m. arguing with each other and police.
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