NORFOLK, Va. — Warren Salvodon is in the middle of a fight he didn't expect to find himself in this summer.
“We’re not trying to find troublemakers for our venue. We want to cater to people who really just want a break," Salvodon said.
Salvodon, one of the owners of the Legacy Restaurant and Lounge, spoke publicly for the first time since a quadruple shooting took place outside of the newly opened nightclub in Downtown Norfolk.
On the morning of August 5, law enforcement officers responded to reported gunfire on Plume Street downtown. As previously reported by 13News Now, court documents reveal that 25-year-old Tyshawn Gray had been kicked out of the Legacy establishment in the early morning hours of August 5.
Outside is where things escalated, where Gray is accused of shooting four people, including one deputy with the Norfolk Sheriff's Office. He's currently behind bars at Chesapeake City Jail.
That shooting is one of several reported in the downtown area in recent months. According to 13News Now reporting, at least 15 people have been shot this year alone in the area.
Salvodon says that night, security had been placed both inside and outside the nightclub, wearing collared shirts so as to not give the appearance of a proto-typical security guard.
Now, Salvodon feels his establishment is the one bearing the consequences.
“I hold myself accountable for anything that happened anywhere that has my name on it. But I still stand on: if a bad apple comes, you can’t tell it’s a bad apple. I can provide a service to all people, be compliant to what people want me to do to thrive as a business," Salvodon said.
Tuesday, Salvodon and the Legacy Restaurant & Lounge face a revocation hearing before city council, over what's considered "failure to adhere to the conditions contained in the Permit."
Salvodon explained Monday afternoon, that it's over security concerns.
A statement from a spokesperson for the City of Norfolk elaborated:
A police investigation and accompanying social media footage of events occurring within and near Legacy this Aug. 5 revealed no uniformed security were within the business while a patron, Tyshawn Gray, was restrained and dragged by his neck and clothing.
A city letter sent to Salvodon acknowledges the existence of Legacy security at the time of the shooting, and that they helped patrons move from inside the establishment.
“I had security, they were on site and they handled the situation. You [city officials] even noted in your document that security helped assist NPD," Salvodon said.
The revocation hearing is one of two big-ticket agenda items on the docket Tuesday night, the other being a joint public hearing with the city's planning commission about amendments to Zoning Ordinance regulations, which would be city-wide if approved.
"Every business out here has a chance to make changes and improve," Salvodon said.