KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City's Regulated Industries will play a role in deciding the future of the 9ine Ultra Lounge following Sunday night's mass shooting.
"My question that I've got to ask is, would this happen if your business wasn't open? And if the answer's no, then I got to look really hard at what I'm going to do," said Jim Ready, manager of KCMO Regulated Industries.
41 Action News obtained a copy of the club's liquor license, which Ready signed off on in September.
The club, like every new business that serves alcohol, was under six-month probationary period.
"You're a little under a little more scrutiny in the sense that you just got consent to go out there," Ready said.
Besides Sunday's violence, a drive-by shooting occurred at the club just last week.
According to KCPD, the victim was shot outside the club at 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 13.
"It has nothing to do with the place, it has nothing to do with the person," said Jamel Sims, who works next door to the club and is a friend of club owner.
That owner is former Chiefs player Alphonso Hodge. Hodge released a statement Monday saying he has little in the way of answers.
"We’re trying to figure it out why people just can’t come together and have fun," Sims said.
As for the Regulated Industries investigation, the outcomes may vary.
"Maybe I end up saying, 'OK, there wasn't a whole lot that they could do to prevent something like this.' It could also be where I just say 'This is based on what happened. This is way too big of an incident to ignore, and largely it's on you, and that's true of any club member.' At the end of the day, if you're a liquor license holder, you got to be a safe operating business," Ready said.
He added that his investigation relies on KCPD completing theirs, and so at this point there's is not a definitive timeline on the future of club's liquor license.
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