The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has suspended the ABC licenses of a nightclub where a Hickory police officer was shot, commission officials said Friday.
The officer was “intentionally struck twice by gunfire” early May 26 in the parking lot behind Gateway Pub & Grill, located at 534A Highway 70 SW, according to a news release from the NC Department of Public Safety.
Officials have not released the officer’s name or condition or said whether anyone has been arrested. Hickory police are still investigating the shooting, department officials said.
Since January 2022, Hickory police have responded to at least 250 calls for service at the nightclub, Police Chief Reed Baer said in a statement Friday.
“The Gateway Pub is and remains a place where violence and disturbances regularly occur,” said Baer. “The Gateway Pub is not only a drain on our resources, but a place that threatens the safety of our community.”
The shooting of the officer “highlights a wanton disregard for public safety that must end,” Baer said
The nightclub “has a history of violent events,” including shots fired, large-scale fights and weapons violations involving nightclub employees, the Department of Public Safety said.
“We hope this suspension will prevent future acts of violence at this location and have a positive impact on this community,” Bryan House, director of the state’s Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement, said in the news release.
The nightclub’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Charlotte Observer on Saturday.
