Cleveland Bar Near Browns Stadium Remains Closed After Shooting

(CLEVELAND, Ohio) — Nearly three weeks after a shooting, the former Play Bar & Grill sits vacant in Downtown Cleveland. Red bar stools and flat-screen TVs linger outside surrounded by uncut fountain grass.

Two hours after the Cleveland Browns’ opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7, gunmen opened fire near the bar injuring six people including a suspect, according to Cleveland.com.

In security footage obtained by News 5 Cleveland, people can be seen running away from Front Ave., hiding behind vehicles, and looking for shelter.

According to a post-incident statement from Mayor Justin Bibb, obtained by Cleveland.com, the city would close the bar believed to be responsible for the incident. The following day, Bibb ordered the closure of Play Bar & Grill.

Since the shooting, a stillness has enveloped the neighborhood. Cars rarely drive by and pedestrians are scarce.

“Yes, I am upset that it was shut down because I rarely go out. I have a select few places that (I) visit, and that bar was one of them. Lots of good memories there with my crew,” Deontae Riley-Waites, a former patron of the bar, told The Click over Instagram.

David Hill, co-owner of Play Bar & Grill, protested the closure, telling Cleveland.com that the city is using his bar as a scapegoat for the police’s alleged mishandling of the situation.

Hill is fighting the decision in court, Brian Gresham, a consultant for the bar, told News 5 Cleveland which later reported that the property’s landlord, East Flats Development LLC, was terminating the bar’s lease.

In a statement texted to The Click, Gresham accused the city of targeting a minority-owned business that “had nothing to do with the tragic and violent events that occurred.” The city chose to “board the business up with no justification … through lies and unfounded nuisance charges.”

In response, a city spokesperson emailed The Click stating, “Under the exigent circumstances of that evening – i.e., a mass shooting scenario that developed into absolute chaos among crowds of hundreds of people in which six victims were shot – it was determined that boarding up the establishment was necessary to protect the safety of the public. While unfortunate, this was necessary to uphold the community’s safety and well-being – a decision made based on safety and safety alone, nothing else.”

The Cleveland Division of Police did not respond to requests for comment.