Police: Shooting injures 2 men outside Fort Lauderdale bar with violent past

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A shooting injured two men on Monday morning in Fort Lauderdale, according to police.

Detectives were investigating the shooting after about 7:10 a.m., at 801 NE 62 St., just west of the intersection of East Cypress Creek Road and Northeast Ninth Avenue.

Fire Rescue personnel found the two men injured and took them to North Broward Hospital. One was shot in the head and the other in the chest, according to police scanner traffic. They were both listed in critical condition.

“We woke up to a lot of officers outside,” John Barcknell, who lives nearby, said.

Surveillance video from Yes Pawn from just after 7 a.m. appears to show the moments leading up to a double shooting outside the Band House.

A man in a red top goes down first. A second man then backs up between parked cars.

“I thought the change of venue would keep people from getting shot over there,” Ross Zappia, who lives nearby, said.

In 2021, the residents of the neighboring Cypress Creek Mobile Home Country Club complained about crime at the property.

The venue formerly called Take 1 Lounge and Jesters Sports Bar before that had been the source of dozens of police calls for service. It also had a history of code violations, including operating as a strip club without a license.

Records show officers have been called to the address numerous times over the past year alone.

“Two days ago, ambulances come, and before that, a lady is running down the street screaming, and right outside the fence they are doing the drugs -- almost right outside our backyard,” Barcknell said.

Neighbors say they want police to investigate why this property has a history of violence and what can be done to keep them safe.

“These things have been going on for a long time,” Barcknell said.

“We definitely don’t feel safe in this neighborhood,” Zappia added. “The trailer right next door to me caught three bullets the first time there was a shooting.”

Neighbors say they have been complaining about the violence for three years now.

“We are all upset with this because nobody has been doing anything for us and we are just peaceful people here,” Barcknell said.

No arrests have been made in connection with Monday’s shooting.

Local 10 attempted to call the number listed for Band House, but the call went unanswered and there was no voicemail set up to leave a message.

When it comes to code violations, a city spokesperson says the business has a different operator from Take 1, and that there are no violations under this operator. The last violation was under the previous operator in 2022.

Detectives were asking anyone with information about the case to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

History of police calls:

Location


About the Authors
Christina Vazquez headshot

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."

Saira Anwer headshot

Saira Anwer joined the Local 10 News team in July 2018. Saira is two-time Emmy-nominated reporter and comes to South Florida from Madison, Wisconsin, where she was working as a reporter and anchor.

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