DETROIT (WXYZ) — On Monday, the city of Detroit shut down The Black Door rental hall on East Warren Avenue. The owner is accused of operating it illegally.
Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes, members of the Detroit Police Department, city council and the fire and building departments called out the establishment in an afternoon press conference.
“It’s a disservice and a slap in the face to other responsible business owners here in our city who go through all the necessary steps," Hayes said.
The deputy chief said two unrelated shootings on Saturday led them to discover the rental hall isn’t licensed.
Kevin Jones with the buildings and safety department said, “It did come to our attention that this location legal use is that of a retail shop."
Police said one shooting happened Saturday morning at 3:45 a.m. Police said the victim is doing fine.
The second shooting occurred in the afternoon during a memorial birthday party. Three people were shot. Police said those victims are all stable.
A motive isn’t clear.
Later on Saturday night, police tracked down the suspect involved the second shooting. Investigators said the man ran into a random home and had a five-hour standoff with police.
No one in the home was injured.
Hayes said, “Two communities, two neighborhoods disrupted by the bad actions that stem from this location. We’re not going to stand for it. We’re going to hold all bad actors accountable. Whether it be a lone gunman (or) whether it be a bad business, accountability is the order of the day.”
7 Action News called the number on the business. In an interview, rental hall owner Johnny McCray said he didn’t know he was operating illegally until speaking with a police captain Sunday night.
“I had no knowledge of it. I would never even opened it up if I knew that it was a retail shop, (if) it was listed as a retail shop," McCray explained.
He said the building, which he’s leasing, was already a hall when he took it over. McCray explained his next steps.
"Take the proper steps to get all the paperwork together to open it up and run it right, correctly," he said.
Detroit police said they’re trying to find the shooter involved in the first shooting from Saturday morning. If you have any information give them a call at 313-596-5200.
