Neighbors express relief after Harris County DA closes illegal club in west Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An illegal after-hours club that brought crowds and violent crime to a Houston neighborhood has been forced to close permanently.
A shooting at Chemistry Lounge killed Samuel Green and sent bullets flying into people's homes, fences and cars around 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 27.
Surveillance video shows what people went through when police said two groups of people and security guards shot off more than 50 rounds.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office took legal action against the club's owners and the landlord. On Wednesday, a judge granted an order to immediately shut down the Chemistry Lounge and terminate the owner's lease on the property.
SEE ALSO: Temporary restraining order granted against Chemistry Lounge's operators week after deadly shootout
Action13 went back out to the neighborhood in west Houston to tell people that they finally got what they'd been desperately asking for.
"It's a good thing for the neighbors here," said a woman who asked to remain unidentified.
Action13 talked with that same woman on Sept. 30. She said at the time that her family was terrified and tired of dealing with the violence coming from the business.
The Sept. 27 shooting came after two police raids and several arrests, but none of that was enough to close the club. Another person living in the area sent Action13 video showing that it was back open on the weekend of Oct. 2.
"We hear burnouts. We hear music. We hear people talking. Now, I think we are going to get a little bit of sleep," the woman said.
That's thanks to action from the district attorney's office, though it took longer than originally planned.
SEE ALSO: Neighbors want illegal after-hours club closed after deadly shooting in west Houston
"We decided to wait a few more days to really polish it and compile all offenses and violations into one document," Sean Teare said of the temporary restraining order filed.
Teare also said illegal after-hours clubs are causing problems all over, and he looks forward to streamlining the legal process to close more of them down in a faster process.
"These places are everywhere. What we are doing is, effectively, going after the worst of the worst. They put so many drunks out on our roads. They have so much violence attached to them. They have these underage 14, 15, even some 13-year-old children there drinking and mixing with adults. It's just not OK," he said.
That sentiment was shared by people who were thankful now to have an unwelcome neighbor moving out.
Teare said the landlord has agreed to demolish the outdoor bar area, and the judge's order prohibits them from leasing to anyone selling or serving alcohol after 2 a.m.
