Club’s Liquor License in Question Again

By Tuquyen Mach
Reporter
Published: January 12, 2009

A Savannah business is once again in the spotlight after a weekend shooting.

Police say Joseph Brunson is charged with murder for the death of Derek Melton on Friday night.  It happened outside Club Exclusive at the corner of Bull and 41st Street.

Melton, an employee of the club, had escorted Brunson outside earlier in the evening. Police say when Brunson came back with a gun, Melton confronted him, was shot, and later died.

This isn’t the first time Club Exclusive has been the scene of a deadly and violent crime. A shooting two years ago almost cost the business its liquor license.

In January 2007, police say two men got into an argument inside the club. The fight continued outside as the club closed.  That’s when police say Conrad George and Cumberland Bush started shooting.  George died from his injuries. 

Bush spent a month in the hospital before he was released and charged with murder.  The incident happened just before Club Exclusive’s liquor license was up for renewal.

The Savannah City Council put several conditions on the club’s owner before renewing the license.

The club was not allowed to operate until it submitted a detailed security plan. The conditions included clear entry rules, having security personnel present at certain times, and checking for weapons.

Every liquor license has to be renewed once a year, and the deadline for applications is coming up.  City leaders told “3 on your side” this incident could play a factor in the club’s license renewal.

“Did the bar do everything that it possibly could, in the way it’s managed, the way the employees behaved, the way they controlled the inside and the outside, did they do everything they could do to prevent this act of violence? What a terrible thing… But the question is did they contribute to it?“ says Savannah City Manager Michael Brown.

The city says the club hasn’t submitted its application yet, but the deadline is the end of this month.

News 3 will follow the story and let you know what happens.