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Police investigate third shooting in a less than a year at Club Venus strip club

Police are investigating the third shooting in less than a year at a west side strip club after a victim walked into Eskenazi Hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot early Tuesday morning.

Posted Updated

By
Jordan Fischer
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Police are investigating the third shooting in less than a year at a west side strip club after a victim walked into Eskenazi Hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot early Tuesday morning.

IMPD officers were called to Club Venus, located at 3535 W. 16th Street, around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning on a report of a disturbance in the parking lot. According to IMPD records, officers left after they were unable to locate any sign of a disturbance.

They were called back to the club at 2:27 a.m. on a report of shots fired in the parking lot. Officers again were not able to locate anyone shot in the parking lot or any signs of shots fired, and employees inside the club denied being aware of any shooting.

Approximately 15 minutes later, officers were notified that a 28-year-old male patient had walked into Eskenazi Hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot. Police learned the victim had apparently been shot outside of Club Venus and had driven himself to the hospital. His injuries were not believed to be life threatening.

As of Wednesday afternoon, police said they were still investigating the case.

The shooting is at least the third – and marks the fifth person shot – at Club Venus in the past year.

On June 16, 2017, officers were called to the club on a report of a large disturbance. Police located one male victim inside the club with injuries to his face. Two other victims later showed up at Methodist Hospital with gunshot wounds to their legs.

On Aug. 10, 2017, attempted murder charges were filed against 26-year-old Jonathan Riley in connection with the shooting of Derrick Clark outside of Club Venus five days earlier.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case, Riley had allegedly stolen money belonging to Clark, and was also accused of reaching into the garter of a dancer at the club and stealing the money she had earned so far that night.

Riley allegedly shot Clark five times when the latter confronted him about the thefts as he was leaving the club. Clark was rushed in critical condition to the hospital, where doctors removed five bullets from his body.

Riley was also seriously injured when one of the club's security guards pulled his own gun and shot him once in the right thigh. Riley jumped in his Jeep and drove off until he became light-headed from blood loss.

According to the affidavit, Riley told police he didn't take anyone's money and that he had fired at Clark because Clark had been following him with his hand in his pocket.

As of Wednesday, the charges in that case remained pending. No charges had been filed in the June 2016 shooting.

A call to Club Venus seeking comment Wednesday was not immediately returned.

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