2 killed, 1 hurt in shooting at club in Riviera
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
August 14, 2007 Tuesday
FINAL EDITION
2 KILLED, 1 HURT IN SHOOTING AT CLUB IN RIVIERA
BYLINE: By ALEJANDRA CANCINO Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 3B
LENGTH: 327 words
DATELINE: RIVIERA BEACH
Gunfire at a crowded nightclub early Monday left two people dead, another injured and sheriff’s deputies frustrated by the reluctance of witnesses to come forward.
The county Violent Crimes Task Force is investigating the shooting, which took place at 2:45 a.m. at the Caribbean Club, 1601 Old Dixie Highway.
Abdullah Luke, 24, of West Palm Beach died at the scene. Shalena Perry, 18, of West Palm Beach was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she died. Stevens Dormezil, 25, of Delray Beach was treated at St. Mary’s and released.
About 100 people were at the club when the shooting occurred, but none has come forward to identify the shooter, said sheriff’s spokesman Paul Miller. Riviera Beach police detained people they believed were witnesses, but the club patrons would not talk, Miller said.
Perry was a student at Life Skills High School, a charter school in West Palm Beach, said her father, Sam. She wanted to be a hairdresser.
The father spent much of Monday at St. Mary’s emergency room, waiting for word about his daughter.
She died Monday afternoon.
He said he last spoke to her Sunday night. She told him she was going to a club with two girlfriends.
He described her as “outgoing and very smart.”
Her stepfather, John McPhee, sat to Perry’s right. His eyes welled as he described her: “She is loving.”
The club is housed in a building next to train tracks. Inside, audio speakers are crammed into the lobby next to the bar. Adjacent to the lobby is a small room where people can dance.
A man who said he is manager but refused to give his name said the club would reopen today. He said he didn’t know anything about the shooting.
Police are looking for one suspect, but have not released a description.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Palm Beach County Violent Crimes Task Force at (561) 688-4000 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-8477.
Staff researchers Melanie Mena and Angelica Cortez contributed to this story.