Police Chief Andre Lloyd said the club where four Yazoo men were murdered last week was in violation of the city’s ordinance surrounding operation hours and presence of security.
“They hadn’t closed up, and they didn’t have security at the time,” Lloyd said, during Monday’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting.
Four men were killed around 1:30 a.m. on Feb.6 outside of Club 66 on Eleventh Street. Briddell Barber, 27, was charged with capital murder and first degree murder a few days after the shooting.
The city ordinance states that night clubs cannot sell or allow “any alcoholic beverages between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m. or to conduct business or be open to conduct business or to allow customers or anyone to remain on the premises between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.”
The ordinance also states that these establishments must have security that are registered with the police department.
Lloyd said Club 66 were in violation of those ordinances when the murders occurred earlier this month.
Alderman Dr. Jack Varner said it is time for the city council to revisit the ordinances pertaining to operational hours of night clubs in light of Yazoo City’s quadruple murders.
“People are still on the grounds at 1 a.m. and after,” he said. “I’m going to make a motion that we close them at midnight, lights out and off the premises by 12:30 a.m. You are shortening it by 30 minutes to get them out of there.”
Lloyd said an ordinance amendment would be beneficial to his department and to the safety of the city during such late hours.
“It would help the city and help the officers out,” Lloyd said. “Having to deal with the clubs being opened until 1 a.m., a whole lot more stuff starts happening around 1 a.m. Closing at 12:30 would be a perfect time to clear off the lot. I think it would be great.”
Sarah O’Rielly-Evans, board attorney, said the board can introduce the new ordinance and adopt it at its next board meeting.
Varner then opened the discussion of closing Club 66 since it was in violation of the city ordinance. But O’Reilly-Evans said that was more suitable for executive session, citing it was litigation.
“We may need to talk about this in litigation because the chief was to get with the prosecutor regarding any affidavits that needed to be filed,” she said. “And we need to deal with the criminal part first. Then they will get statistics and numbers back to this board to make a decision on any closures.”
“The sooner, the better Chief,” Varner replied, to Lloyd.
