Shooting at Raleigh Club Is Part of Larger Problem, Neighbors Charge

Raleigh, N.C. — Raleigh police spent most of Monday at the scene of a fatal shooting, gathering evidence but unable to say what the motive was. Neighbors of the Black Tie Nightlife club on New Bern Avenue said they are more concerned about a growing problem in the area.

The shooting happened early Monday morning behind the Black Tie at 3201 New Bern. One man died, and a second was wounded.

Police identified the dead man as Tyrone Robert Covington, 28, of Durham. The wounded man is Kurtis Michael Richrd LeDuc, 25, of Raleigh, police spokesman Jim Sughrue said. LeDuc's condition was unknown, though he reportedly was taken to WakeMed.

The attention the shooting brought to the club may bring the City Council into the investigation.

The shooting Monday was the second one along the same stretch of New Bern Avenue in three weeks. June 4, a man was shot at a nearby Waffle House.

City Council member Philip Isley said Monday that enough's enough.

“That is a great concern to me,” said Isley, who chairs the Law and Public Safety Committee.

It's also a concern to neighbors, who said they've heard gunshots coming from the vicinity of the club recently.

“About a week and a half, two weeks ago, I heard about four or five gunshots go off and voices accompany with them. So, it's a little nerve-wracking when it's 2 or 3 in the morning and you hear that and the voices with them, which means it's close by,” Michelle Rohner said.

Isley said his committee would take a closer look at the club and the surrounding area and could strip the club of its amplified entertainment permit if the panel decided that was deserved.

“We would have the ability to effectively stop them from having any music whatsoever, which for nightclubs and bars, that's a pretty dramatic event to lose your ability to have any music whatsoever,” Isley said.

The city council's next meeting is July 10th, and Isley said his staff will be gathering as much information as possible about the club before then.

Some neighbors said the problems go beyond the club. They want more police patrols in the area, they added.

Officers working traffic enforcement on Milburnie Road, adjacent to the club, were the ones who heard the shots shortly before 3 a.m.

Raleigh police said they have received 409 calls about the area in the last 18 months, although not all involved emergency situations.

Detectives asked that anyone with information about the Monday shooting call them at 919-890-3555.

Calls to Black Tie Nightlife were not returned Monday.