The owner of a Stamford nightclub that shut its doors after a gunman opened fire in the parking lot said he wants people in the city to feel safe.
“All hell broke loose out there,” said Daniel Bibartolomeo, an attorney for Oscar Moreno, who owns Tino’s Nightclub at 84 West Park Place.
Moreno surrendered the club’s liquor license after five people were shot outside the club early Sunday morning.
“I was here the whole entire night,” Moreno said.
Police said 22-year-old Dayron Wills admitted his involvement in the shooting. He was charged with five counts of first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm and possession of marijuana.
According to police, the fight started over a woman. Surveillance footage shows a man in a red shirt, who police have identified as Wills, pulling out a gun and firing into the parking lot. The victims’ injuries were non-life threatening, police said.
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Moreno maintains that the club itself was safe, but he’s concerned that Tino’s is now associated with violence.
“When customers who like to go to nightclubs hear on TV that a fight started in a nightclub, people want to stay away,” he said.
Wills’ attorney, Darnel lD. Crosland, says his client acted in self-defense.
“The video is very chilling, and anyone who watches this video who [doesn’t] have the benefits of other angles would tend to think this is reckless,” he explained. “But again, this is a self-defense case and a lot is going to come out in the next couple weeks.”
Regardless of the motive, Moreno said the damage to Tino’s reputation has been done. Stamford Mayor David Martin said Tino’s will likely reopen under a new name, but that violence in the area “will not be tolerated.”
Moreno agrees.
“We want to make sure the people who come to Stamford and our club, they are safe,” Moreno said.
