‘They should be closed forever.’ Should Westport club shut down after fatal shooting?

There are 231 establishments in the Westport entertainment district. Not all of the businesses serve alcohol. But nine of the 11 tavern disturbance calls reported in the area since the start of 2019 originated from just one location: Throwback KC and its companion club, OffKey Karaoke Lounge & Suites.

The incidents include multiple reports of assault and other altercations that required police attention, an aggravated assault and an assault on an off-duty police officer, according to documents provided by Westport officials to The Star Editorial Board.

So while last weekend’s shooting — which left one dead and four wounded after an altercation at Throwback — shocked the Westport neighborhood, perhaps it should not have come as a surprise.

The owners of Throwback have said the right things after the deadly shooting near the nightclub at Mill Street and Westport Road. But will anything actually change at the place that has been ground zero for disturbances in Westport?

Aaron Beatty, one of the owners and managing member of Throwback, said owners are in the process of instituting enhanced security procedures at their own expense.

But fellow business owners are fed up with the nightclub that has eschewed the district’s more stringent security measures, which were instituted in September 2018.

From April through October each year, revelers in Westport have been greeted with metal detectors and searches to enter the pedestrian-only area during weekend evenings.

The Kansas City Council voted in December 2017 to allow privatization of some sidewalks in the district. In February, the council approved an extension of the program.

Throwback KC, which sits at the edge of the boundaries for enhanced security, does not participate.

Beatty disagreed with the assertion that the club is a public nuisance. But information provided by Westport officials about tavern disturbance calls tell a different story.

This week, Kansas City police said they were still trying to determine the number of incidents reported at Throwback since 2019.

“They have been in business (for) years and won’t change the way they operate,” said Westport business owner Brett Allred. “What they are doing isn’t working. They should be closed forever.”

Devin Harris, 17, died in a drive-by shooting in the entertainment district early Saturday morning. Throwback reopened later that night, sending the unmistakable message that club owners value profit over human life.

Indefensibly, days passed before ownership posted a message on the club’s Facebook page condemning the violence.

The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged 25-year-old Devon L. Carter of Kansas City, Kansas, with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action in connection with a shooting officials say stemmed from an altercation earlier that evening inside the club.

Other suspects are still wanted for questioning, police said. None were in custody as of Thursday.

Westport security and off-duty Kansas City police officers were involved in the incident. Investigators are still trying to determine who fired the fatal shot.

Beatty said the public should wait for the facts to emerge before making any judgments.

“We don’t know how much more we could have done,” Beatty told The Star Editorial Board.

Participating in the entertainment district’s more stringent security measures would be a start. While this shooting happened in the off-season when barricades and metal detectors are not set up, the warmer months that have proved to be even more deadly are fast approaching. The Westport Regional Business League said the policy has spurred significant reductions in violent crime.

The city’s Regulated Industries Division now has opened its own investigation into the club. The inquiry will take weeks, said manager Jim Ready.

Regulated Industries issues the city’s business and liquor licenses. The agency can temporarily shut down a business after a riot or violence in the immediate area.

But last weekend’s fatal shooting didn’t meet the criteria to order such action, Ready said.

“This is so severe that we have to look into it and any prior incidents,” he said. But, “this option (emergency shut down) really does not apply.”

In the interest of public safety, Beatty and the Throwback management team must get serious about security if the nightclub is to remain open.

Their investment would be worth every penny and could potentially save lives.

This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.