Louisville leaders push for local control over liquor licenses after fatal shooting at Cafe 360

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two Louisville Metro Council members are joining an effort to get local officials more control over liquor licenses, after another person was shot and killed Sunday at Cafe 360 on Bardstown Road.

Mayor Craig Greenberg announced Monday that Councilmen Rick Blackwell and Ben Reno-Weber will partner with the city's Alcohol Beverage Control on an ordinance amendment to provide Metro government with the authority to issue emergency license suspensions.

Those licenses are currently controlled by the state.

"We are working with urgency to make our city safer, and this ordinance amendment would help us combat violent crime, protect lives and better support our local businesses by allowing a quicker response to hold those accountable," Greenberg said in a news release Monday. "From Metro ABC to Metro Council, LMPD and more, we are working together to find real solutions."

Louisville Metro Police spokesman Sgt. Matt Sanders said police responded about 3:30 a.m. Sunday to 1500 block of Bardstown Road at Cafe 360 on a call of a person down inside. Upon arrival, police found a man who had been shot and called EMS. Sanders said EMS pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The man was later identified by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office as 21-year-old Theodore Brown.

"I am saddened by these tragic events and feel strongly that government must take action," Blackwell said Monday. "I am grateful for all community members who are helping to craft common-sense solutions and add more options for our public safety professionals. This ABC ordinance offers a promising solution, and I hope it passes quickly through the Metro Council process."

The ordinance proposed by Blackwell and Reno-Weber would allow Metro ABC to suspend licenses where there is a "threat to public safety, health or welfare." Blackwell and Metro ABC officials are working to address any business-related concerns that arise.

"First and foremost, Metro ABC wants to extend our deepest sympathy to all those affected by this horrible act of violence," Brad Silveria, director of Metro ABC, said in a news release Monday. "Guns inside alcohol establishments are never a good mixture," said Brad Silveria, Metro ABC director. “To further strengthen our commitment to safety, the administration has partnered with Councilmen Blackwell and Reno-Weber offices for an ordinance amendment that would add emergency suspension power against the local ABC license. This measure will allow Metro ABC to work swiftly to administer accountability. All steps available will be taken to protect our community from tragedies like the one that occurred Sunday."

In July 2023, a man died and two others were injured in a 3 a.m. shooting along the same stretch of Bardstown Road. The shooting happened in the midst of several community meetings in the area in which local leaders expressed concerns about rising crime. LMPD's 5th Division ramped up patrols in the area and added two new resources officers.

Greenberg said Metro ABC has already requested Cafe 360's license be suspended.

"These senseless and tragic shootings in the Highlands and Bon Air, as well as those devastating families and neighborhoods across Louisville, only add to the urgency of our efforts to keep our neighborhoods safe from gun violence," Reno-Weber said. "We have been working closely with ABC and LMPD on these initial concrete steps, and we have some additional actions we will be announcing soon."

LMPD's Homicide Unit is investigating Sunday's shooting and believes there are witnesses. If anyone has any information about this shooting, you are urged to call LMPD's anonymous crime tip line at 502-574-LMPD (5673) or the anonymous crime tip portal by clicking here.

"We need all of Louisville to help us by being a part of the solution," Greenberg said. "By holding those who commit these violent acts accountable, we can make our community safer and protect more lives."

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