Louisville residents demand action after latest fatal shooting outside Highlands nightclubs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A day after two people were killed in a triple shooting outside nightclubs on Baxter Avenue in the Highlands, nearby residents are once again calling for an end to the violence that many believe is gang-related.

The owner of Baxter's 942 Bar and Grill, a popular night spot in the Highlands located along the Baxter Avenue corridor, told WDRB News everyone is welcome there, but residents said that's part of the problem.

In a chaotic scene, hundreds of people filled the streets after the early morning shooting in the 900 block of Baxter Avenue between Highland Avenue and East Broadway, as outnumbered LMPD officers and other first responders called for backup.

Triple shooting scene on Baxter Avenue — This frame grab taken from video shows the chaotic scene after three people were shot in the 900 block of Baxter Avenue in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville, Ky., in the early morning hours of Aug. 11, 2024. (WDRB image)

When the first officers arrived at the scene, they found three victims: one man who died at the scene, and another man who was taken to UofL Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A third victim was taken to Norton Women and Children's Hospital, and is expected to survive.

Community leaders believe the violence is gang-related.

"I think our recent acknowledgement that we have a significant gang problem in this city is a really important step," said Louisville Metro Councilmember Ben Reno-Weber.

Former gang member and now community advocate Demetrius McDowell agrees with Weber's assessment, saying the fights often begin on social media.

"Things are being said back and forth, and played out in the streets," McDowell said. "And whenever there's a venue or something going on, it's a great opportunity for retaliation."

Posts on social media are blaming the violence on the bars in the area, but Baxter's 942 General Manager Zachariah De Los Monteros said his business was not involved in the shooting.

Social media posts after Baxter Avenue shooting on Aug. 11, 2024 — Pictured: this composite image shows screen grabs of comments posted on social media after a triple shooting that left two men dead and another injured in the 900 block of Baxter Avenue in the early morning hours of Aug. 11, 2024. (WDRB image)

"They were not in our establishment, we have confirmed that," De Los Monteros said.

De Los Monteros told WDRB anyone and everyone is welcome at Baxter's, and that makes it a target.

"I feel like that they are going around and saying that it is our establishment because we do have a very wide base of basically customers," he said.

McDowell said that's the type of climate that can attract a dangerous crowd.

"You cannot say whether or not you get dressed to come out to have a good time, to enjoy the weather, that you're going to make it home safe because you don't know what people are into," McDowell said.

Meanwhile, even though Louisville Metro Police officials have not confirmed that Sunday's shooting was gang-related, Reno-Weber said he's working with police to get the gang issue under control.

"We are working both locally and nationally to go after these gangs and that's the first and most important thing that we can be doing," Reno-Weber said.

LMPD said there are no known suspects in the shooting at this time. Anyone with information in this or any other case is asked to call LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at 502-574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously online through the LMPD Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.

The Original Highlands Neighborhood Association plans to discuss the continuing violence during its meeting later this month.

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