Lansing could revoke license for entertainment venue after mass shooting

LANSING — An event center at a shopping plaza in south Lansing that was the site of shooting that injured five people in late July Logan could be shut down following a Monday hearing.

An investigator for the city determined the cabaret license for Energy Event Center in the Logan Square shopping center should be revoked.

Ryan Cabell, owner of Energy Event Center, said he has only hosted two events in the three years he has owned the venue - a May graduation celebration and the July 29 party that resulted in gunfire.

But he could lose his cabaret license if the city council sides with the mayor, police and human resources director who have been reviewing his south Lansing business operations before and after the shooting that took place in the early hours of Sunday, July 30.

Human Resources Director Elizabeth O'Leary has submitted a report council members are expected to review Monday evening indicating 70 bullet casings were recovered at the scene, that there was evidence of drinking despite the venue not having a liquor license and that the shootings happened within 250 and 464 feet of the entrance to the Energy Event Center.

The shopping center is located near the intersection of Holmes Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

"The requirement that a cabaret licensee has to abide by all state, local and federal laws was not adhered to," O'Leary said in a Thursday report that included a recommendation. "Multiple people were tragically injured in the early morning hours of July 30, 2023. In light of the ordinance language, testimony and evidence submitted during the (Aug. 24) hearing, I recommend that the Lansing City Council revoke the cabaret license held by Energy Events Center."

Council is scheduled to vote on the matter at its regular 7 p.m. Monday session.

Scott Bean, a spokesperson for Mayor Andy Schor, said the issue is now up to the the City Council. City Council President Carol Wood did not respond Saturday to phone calls seeking comment.

"After the hearing is held a recommendation will be made to Council by the Hearing Officer," Wood said in August, when Schor announced he would ask council to revoke the center's license as a means of corrective action. "It is important that we follow the process and review all the facts.”

Cabell plans to attend the City Council's Committee of the Whole meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday to challenge O'Leary's recommendation.

"What they've been saying is the cabaret license holder, me, wasn't able to control the patrons or crowd and when my event was over patrons walked outside and it became chaotic," Cabell said. "But I had 450 kids in there, having the time of their lives. The shooting occurred outside my event. Nobody was aware (inside) of what was happening until we walked outside and there were 15, 20 police cars with lights. The question is how many incidents happened in parking lots prior, and after that, in Lansing that haven't gotten attention and nobody else is coming for their licenses."

Police Chief Ellery Sosebee asked for the cabaret license revocation in an Aug. 4 letter, "given the significant gun violence that has recently occurred at the premises," and Schor began the process for an administrative hearing. The day of the shooting outside Cabell's venue was a particularly violent day that ended with one person dead and at least seven wounded from at least four separate shootings, 

For Cabell's cabaret license, the Aug. 24 hearing included findings that the Energy Event Center did not have a liquor license and hosted a July 29 concert without a necessary "show" license. O'Leary said in her report a city ordinance requires a show license for any "entertainment, carnival or show of any nature and name" if money is demanded. Admission was charged, she said, for the July 29 concert Cabell advertised on Facebook.

The Lansing police officer investigating the shooting, Andrew Watkeys, told city officials at the Aug. 24 hearing that he saw alcohol bottles and red Solo cups outside but no evidence of alcohol inside the venue. Cabell said Saturday he did not provide, see or endorse any alcohol inside the venue.

During the hearing, Cabell's attorney Dan Doyle questioned why there was a separate cabaret and show license since the two had a lot of similarities. On Saturday, he referred questions about Monday's hearing to Cabell.

Cabell said keeping his venue open would be better for the community because he can keep young people entertained rather than fighting each other. He said young people would just go to house parties and block parties, with less regulation and less security and likely end up fighting more.

He said city officials, including Schor and police officers, have not reached out to him after the shooting.

"My solution is a sit down conversation with the mayor, police chief and city attorney and we collaborate with each other. I draw audiences. I draw big crowds. Lets have a sit down," Cabell said. "My ideas? Increase more security in the parking lot, increase the cameras in the parking lot, increase the designated area so anything outside is considered loitering and have police enforce it because private security can't tell people to start their cars and leave."

Cabell said he is a Flint resident who opened a Lansing business that has hardly had a chance to get off the ground before it faces a shutdown.

"If they take my license, what's that do to stop the gun violence?" Cabell asked. "If I can get 450 kids off the street on a Saturday night, I think that's a blessing right there.

"They're painting a narrative that my cabaret license is the issue. The issue is the gun violence," Cabell said. "That's the issue. If they take my license and I'm not doing events right here, that's not going to stop the violence that's been going on."

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415