Rocky Mount nightclub shut down after shooting

The shooting occurred Saturday night in the VIP area of Studio 169 Lounge, at 169 S. Wesleyan Blvd., authorities said. One woman was wounded, and a second was hurt crawling through broken glass trying to escape the shooter.

The shooter fled before police arrived, authorities said.

North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agents found that club owner, Donald Richardson, had only a handful of security officers for a crowd of more than 300 customers.

Although Studio 169 Lounge had been open less than a year, this was not the first time law enforcement had been called to the club. In September, a fight inside led to a shooting in the parking lot, authorities said.

After multiple injuries and two shootings, Richardson told state officials that he didn't want to be responsible for a third, and he surrendered his liquor permits to ALE on Tuesday, authorities said.

“When the continued risk of crime and violence is present at a location, the ongoing sales of alcoholic beverages can greatly increase the danger. We hope this action provides a permanent solution," Bryan House, acting head of ALE, said in a statement.