Witness Recounts Terrifying Moments After Man Shot in the Head at Louisville’s Club Cedar as City Shuts Down Bar
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — A terrifying scene unfolded inside Club Cedar late Saturday night when a man was shot in the head and killed in the middle of a crowded tent area behind the west Louisville bar.
The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) said officers responded just before midnight on October 25 to the Russell neighborhood nightclub, where they found a man in his 40s lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head.
Witnesses told WDRB that panic erupted as people ducked for cover, unsure who had been hit or whether more gunfire would follow.
‘We Didn’t Know If We Got Hit,’ Witness Says
Ashley Green-Winters, who was at Club Cedar when the shooting happened, said the chaos broke out within seconds.
“It was pretty scary — we didn’t know who got hit, if we got hit,” she recalled. “We’re checking ourselves, and then all of a sudden we see him lying there.”
Green-Winters said the shooting took place under tents at the back of the club, an area attached to the bar where patrons were gathered. She said she later spoke with police but didn’t see who fired the fatal shot.
“It’s not the club,” she added. “I think it’s more about who’s letting the gun get through. This is your job — to secure the place. It’s really disappointing that a weapon was able to get in.”
City Suspends Club Cedar’s Liquor License
In response to the deadly shooting, the Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control (LMABC) issued an emergency suspension order for Club Cedar’s liquor license, citing public safety concerns.
In a statement, LMABC said:
“Our thoughts are with the victim and his family during this difficult time. The incident remains under investigation in coordination with LMPD. Metro ABC will continue to act swiftly when public safety is at risk and work collaboratively under Mayor Greenberg’s Safe Louisville Plan.”
Officials said the suspension will remain in effect while the homicide investigation continues.
Club Cedar Has Prior History of Violence
This is not the first shooting at Club Cedar. In November 2024, a man was shot and killed and another person wounded at the same establishment. Kevin Powell, 60, was arrested and charged with murder and assault in that incident.
The recent violence also follows another double shooting on October 18 at Double Deuce, another west Louisville bar, where two women were hospitalized. That venue’s liquor license was also suspended under the city’s Safe Louisville Plan.
Community Calls for Change
Green-Winters said the experience has motivated her to learn CPR so she can be prepared in future emergencies.
“It’s not going to deter me from going out,” she said. “It’s just going to put me on higher alert — but now I know how to save a life if it does happen again.”
She added a simple message for the community:
“Put the guns down. We have to stop letting anger make us make life-altering decisions.”
Police say no suspects have been identified and are urging anyone with information to contact the LMPD Crime Tip Line at (502) 574-LMPD (5673) or use the anonymous Crime Tip Portal online.
For continuing updates on Louisville crime, community safety, and city enforcement actions, follow ChicagoMusicGuide.com.