Club Ritz shooting victim laid to rest

CINCINNATI - The victim of a deadly shooting inside the Club Ritz nightclub in Roselawn was laid to rest Tuesday as his family and friends continued to push for the club to be shut down.

Services for 22-year-old Dexter Burroughs were held at 10 a.m. at the Zion Baptist Church on Glenwood Avenue in Avondale.

It will be just one of several activities the Burroughs family may take part in on Tuesday, as they step up their efforts to shut down the nightclub where Burroughs was shot and killed earlier this month.

Within a day of Burroughs' death inside the Club Ritz last week, his father and other family members were in the parking lot outside the nightclub posting signs calling for Club Ritz to close because of escalating violence inside and outside of the club.

Burroughs' family is also planning on holding a candlelight vigil for him at the Lincoln Statue at Forest Avenue and Reading Road in Avondale, starting at 6 p.m.

On Tuesday afternoon, city council members met to discuss the future of Club Ritz.

"It's my true wish and a few members who signed this motion with me to see this club close down at this point," said Leslie Ghiz, Councilmember.

Members of the government operations committee also talked about ways to reduce violence at the club.

Councilmember Charlie Winburn took it a step further submitting a motion that cracks down on all bar owners.

"I want to see if the city administration will have the guts to support the new point system I'm going to propose. If you have one homicide in your building, on your premises, then we are going to shut the thing down," said Winburn.

Andrew Williams, the owner of Club Ritz, was also at the meeting.

He said he's made safety improvements to the club which is why he said the city allowed his liquor license to be renewed a month ago.

"We have the recommendation letter from the city of Cincinnati going to Columbus. So we've not done anything wrong. We've done everything that they've asked. We are not in control of an individual who comes into the nightclub and decides what he wants to do," said Andrew Williams, Club Ritz Owner.

On Wednesday, Williams is planning on holding a press conference to talk about safety improvements he made including a new metal detector, new cameras and making it a members only club.

No arrests have been made in the homicide.