Expert witness: Lax security contributed to Club Blu shooting

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FORT MYERS, Fla. One of two armed guards at Club Blu the night of the deadly 2016 shooting was inside looking for a flashlight as chaos unfolded in the parking lot, an expert witness said, according to court documents.

Stef’an Strawder, 18, and Sean Archilles, 14, were gunned down and 18 others were hurt just after midnight on July 25, 2016, outside the since-shuttered establishment in the Carrell Corners plaza. The families of the victims blame a lack of security for the mass shooting.

Michael Zoovas, a former private investigator who testified as a witness, said he thought the presence of Fort Myers Police Department officers could have prevented the shooting, the documents show.

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“I doubt that anybody would drive down Evans (Avenue) and start shooting with sworn law enforcement officers there,” Zoovas said, according to the documents.

The documents detail years of violence and what’s described as inadequate security at Club Blu, a bar and grill that often operated as a nightclub.

Flyers for events there advertised lingerie and bikini nights, girls gone wild, and free admission for girls not wearing underwear, among other promotions. Zoovas described what was going on at the teen party at Club Blu the night of the shooting as “out of control, horrible (and) egregious.”

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Police responded to the site 130 times between 2011 and the night of the deadly shooting on complaints including aggravated battery, aggravated assault and gunshots heard.

Carrell Corners has seen its share of criminal activity, including robberies and theft, but the company that manages the property says it’s not their fault.

North Miami-based I.M.C. Equity Group said it wasn’t aware of the violence in the area until the shooting, court documents show.

“I mean, we’re talking in hindsight,” said Lindsay Brigman, an attorney for I.M.C. “I don’t know that there’s any evidence that anyone has presented here today that I.M.C. even knew the teen event was occurring because once a tenant signs a lease and has the business relationship, they’re entitled to quiet enjoyment in the use of their space.”

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