Little Rock clubgoer's lawsuit tells of terror on night of mass shooting

A Little Rock man who says he was forced to jump out of a second-story window on his 29th birthday to escape the mass shooting at a downtown club in July has sued the now-defunct establishment, its proprietor and the company that owns the building.

Patrick Dwight Hardy was shot in the arm and suffered physically scarring injuries from the shooting and subsequent confusion, according to the 15-page lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Hardy is suing for compensatory and punitive damages for his pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of income from work and disfigurement from being shot, the suit states. Hardy's attorney, Josh Gillespie, is petitioning Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza for a jury trial.

More than two dozen people were shot July 1 when gunfire broke out during a late-night rap performance at Power Ultra Lounge at Sixth and Center streets.

In the suit, Hardy describes the chaos and terror in the two-story club when bullets began flying mid-song "seemingly from every direction."

But it was difficult in the crowded space for the panicked patrons to escape as the bullets flew, according to the lawsuit.

"Bodies slam violently together in the desperate push towards safety. People are trampled. Muzzles flash and bullets fly from all directions. [Hardy] hears the 'pop, pop, pop' of gunfire. He hears shrieks of terror and screams of pain. He sees blood and writhing bodies on the floor."

In the resulting "panic and chaos ... The single stairwell leading to the ground floor quickly swells with bodies and becomes clogged. The single fire escape is flooded."

Hardy, who had never been to the club before, jumped out the window and onto an awning, before landing on the ground on his side, the suit says.

The suit states that building owner 6th & Center LLC, club licensee Power Kitchen & Bar Inc. and club operator Herman Lewis were all negligent in the club's operation.

The 6th & Center company allowed Power Kitchen to operate as an illegal nightclub and concert venue, despite knowing that the building wasn't zoned for that operation, according to the lawsuit, which describes the operation as a "hotspot" for violent crimes.

The company also knew that the Power Ultra Lounge had been the subject of 48 police calls to the property in the two years before the shooting, including multiple occasions involving shootings, according to the lawsuit.

Lewis, 43, also knew the club had a problem with violence and was aware that he was running an illegal club without the proper licensing and permits, according to the suit. A working phone number for Lewis was not available Tuesday night.

The defendants allowed in "hundreds" of patrons -- more than the law allows -- while failing to screen for guns among clubgoers; let the performer, Memphis rap musician Ricky Hampton, take firearms into the venue despite knowing he'd been involved in another shooting; and illegally offered "bottle service" to guests, the practice of selling full bottles of liquor to customers, the suit states.

The only one to be arrested so far in connection with the gunfire, Kentrell Gwynn of Memphis, was the bodyguard of the musician who performed that night. Gwynn is now jailed on 10 counts of aggravated assault. The charges together carry a potential 60-year prison sentence.

Little Rock detectives say they matched shell casings at the scene to a gun the 25-year-old Gwynn was carrying.

Police say there were other shooters that night and have attributed the gunplay to an ongoing dispute between Little Rock gangs.

Gwynn and Hampton, who performs under the stage name Finess2Tymes, were arrested on unrelated charges in Alabama the day after the gunfire. Gwynn has since been federally indicted over accusations that he gave Hampton a gun despite knowing that Hampton is a convicted felon.

Hampton also faces federal and state charges related to a shooting in June at a Forrest City nightclub. Both men are jailed.

Metro on 08/30/2017