LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Roosters on Preston Highway reopened Monday, four days after two people were gunned down during a fight at the restaurant two days before Christmas.
Karson Reitz, 21, is accused of fatally shooting 48-year-old Michael Miller and 51-year-old Bradley Cross at the Okolona restaurant on Dec. 23. Court documents state Reitz was seen on surveillance video shooting the two men inside the crowded dining room.
Reitz pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in court Sunday. He remains jailed on a $1 million cash bond, and has been ordered not to contact the victims' families. He's also prohibited from possessing a gun or any type of weapon.
An arrest report says Reitz knew both victims.
Amy Wolney, who has worked as a bartender at the Roosters location for nine years, said Reitz and his dad, John, as well as the Miller family were regulars at Roosters.
Amy Wolney has worked as a bartender at the Preston Highway Roosters for nine years. She described the chaotic scene after a shooting in the packed restaurant on Dec. 23, 2021, killed two men. (WDRB photo)
Wolney said there was a fist fight between J. Reitz and Miller before the shooting, and called the situation a "worst nightmare scenario." She said the restaurant was packed before the shooting with families and children gathering for the holidays.
The shooting happened just steps away from her, and a few feet from children at a nearby table.
"This has always been a like a worst nightmare scenario for me," Wolney said. "You know, someone that come into my restaurant or come into where I'm working and start shooting. I always thought that I would get down and hide by the ice bin because it's metal, you know, so I always thought that's what I would do. And I've never imagined having to really do that.
"I was yelling for them to stop, saying 'Stop! Stop!', you know, and and then when I heard the shots, that's when I got down," she said.
Police say Reitz admitted to police that he shot the two men. He is expected back in court Jan. 4 for a preliminary hearing.
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