An Irvington shooting left three people dead and two others wounded when a gunman opened fire inside a busy strip club early on Christmas morning.
Police in the New Jersey city said that shots rang out at Slick’s Go Go Bar on Nye Avenue just after midnight on Christmas. The dispute started with a dispute between a patron and a bouncer, who was reportedly trying to stop the armed and drunken man from entering the strip club.
The bouncer was the first victim of the Irvington shooting, who died along with the son of the club’s owner. A third person, believed to be a friend of the bouncer, was also killed in the strip club shooting . Two others were injured.
Police said there were close to 100 people inside the strip club at the time of the shooting. Witnesses reported hearing a scuffle on the steps of the club followed by somewhere between 7 and 15 gunshots.
”It appears the gunman was trying to enter the bar armed and was stopped by the bouncer,” said Chief Anthony Ambrose of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Those killed in the Irvinton shooting have been identified as 34-year-old Pierre Clervoyant and 32-year-old Woodley Daniel. The third victim has yet to be named by police.
The injured included a 27-year-old man and a 34-year-old man, both of whom were taken to University Hospital for treatment. Their condition was unknown.
The family of Pierre Clervoyant, whose father owned the bar, said he was trying to diffuse the situation when he was shot.
“He was trying to be the peacemaker,” said Stephanie Clervoyant, 25, Pierre’s sister.
Police said the suspect in the Irvington shooting fled the scene in a grey vehicle. No arrest have been made, but the Essex County Sheriff’s Crimestoppers Program is offering up to $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
