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A southside bar was the center of a whirlwind of controversy this weekend after a nearby shooting left three people injured, resulting in a city-mandated shutdown of the bar and a Madison Police Department SWAT team searching an apartment seeking links to the shooting.
The shooting occurred Friday on the 1800 block of South Park Street, where R’ Place, owned by Rick Flowers, is located.
MPD Captain Joe Balles said Saturday the three victims left R’ Place the night of the shooting and one of the victims was a former employee.
Shortly after the shooting, R’ Place was forced to close its doors for a few days.
On Friday, Madison Attorney Jenifer Zilavy filed an application for a restraining order on the bar through Dane County Circuit Court, according to an MPD report.
The restraining order, which claims R’ Place is a public nuisance, was granted. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27, according to the report.
A sign on R’Place’s door reads: “Closed without due process! Call your alderperson! We will reopen 9/27/11.”
While Balles said no suspects are currently in custody, MPD’s SWAT team executed a search warrant Saturday in an apartment on the 1800 block of South Park Street to find anything related to Friday night’s shooting, according to an MPD report.
The report did not disclose if any items related to the shooting were found.
Balles called the shooting an “assassination attempt” as three people were injured either from bullets or flying pieces of glass. A high-caliber assault style rifle was used in the shooting, which Balles said is unusual for Madison.
The victims of the shooting were taken to University of Wisconsin Hospital. Two of the victims are in “stable but serious” condition, Balles said.
On Friday afternoon, Flowers declined an interview with The Badger Herald and said the media has misrepresented the story of his bar in the past.
The south side bar has been fighting for its liquor license for the past year.
The Alcohol License Review Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to deliberate on the status of R’ Place’s liquor license after violent incidents unrelated to this weekend’s shooting called the safety of the establishment into question last year.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said nothing about if this weekend’s shooting will officially be taken into consideration when ALRC deliberates this week.
Ultimately, Verveer said, the City Council will make the final call on R’ Place’s liquor license based on ALRC’s recommendation.
While R’ Place’s liquor license revocation process has been making its way through the city committee, Verveer said R’Place is currently operating under a Chief of Police Security Plan, which has increased security and placed strict conditions on how many patrons can be in the bar at one time.
