An employee of a northeast Atlanta nightclub was shot to death early Thursday following a dispute over the admission price, according to police.
Officers were called to the Members Only lounge on Ralph McGill Boulevard around 2:20 a.m. They arrived to find an employee of the lounge who had been shot in the chest, Atlanta police spokesman Officer Steve Avery said. The man was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital but did not survive.
“Preliminary investigation indicated that a dispute arose over admission fees to the nightclub and the victim was shot,” Avery said in an emailed statement. “Detectives are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
The man was identified later Thursday morning as Caleb Culbreath of Jonesboro, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. Culbreath was 27.
Owned by Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz, Members Only bills itself as “Atlanta’s exclusive VIP lounge for the city’s socialites and elite professionals.” In March, the club celebrated its first anniversary, according to a social media post. Those wishing to be members of the lounge must complete an online application for consideration.
The death was the 117th homicide in Atlanta this year, according to police data. Last year there were 99 homicides in the city.
Less than two weeks ago, a 35-year-old man was killed as he left a west Midtown nightclub, according to police. Andre Pierce was leaving the Compound Nightclub when he was shot multiple times.
On Wednesday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms expressed her concerns over the increase in deadly crimes.
“We are seeing numbers we have not seen in Atlanta as it relates to our murder rate,” Bottoms said during a news briefing with local media. “We recognize that this is a problem. ... Right now, our eye is on crime in Atlanta.”
Atlanta police interim Chief Rodney Bryant has said curbing gun violence is a priority for the department.
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