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January 9, 2011

Six shot outside West side's Select Lounge; unclear if club will re-open

Six people, including two police officers, were shot Sunday morning outside Select Lounge, a recently opened West side club that billed itself as the "premiere [sic] destination for sophisticated club connoisseurs, savvy socialites, A-list celebrities and Baltimore's elite."

It's unclear when or if the club will re-open following the tragedy. Manager Alex Wolde couldn't be reached for comment. 

Police were called to crowd control a chaotic scene outside the club Sunday morning when, around 1:15 a.m., an altercation broke out and multiple shots were fired, police said. Eight-year police veteran William H. Torbit Jr., 33, and civilian Sean "Loz" Gamble died at the scene.

Crime Beat has a comprehensive timeline of the events. Police still haven't determined who instigated the shootings.

Select Lounge opened in October with a lavish party that was sponsored by Belvedere Vodka (grand opening flier at right). Midnight Sun reviewed it. Owners had high hopes it would attract local VIPs.

It might have been on its way. Raven Dannell Ellerbe celebrated his birthday there in December.

It's unclear when the young club will re-open, or indeed, what effect this will have in the long run. Police tell Crime Beat the club hadn't drawn extraordinary attention since it opened. But, already, some patrons are saying they won't return there.

Phone calls to manager Alex Wolde haven't been returned.

And the club's frequently updated Facebook and Twitter have been silent since January 5. 

At the scene, reporter Justin Fenton writes, the club's parking lot is blocked off by police tape. 

More updates to come tomorrow.

Photo: Select Lounge Facebook

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Posted by Erik Maza at 2:50 PM | | Comments (0)
Categories: Bars & Clubs
        

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About Erik Maza
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "simulated sex with a potted palm tree." Before The Sun, he was a reporter at the Miami New Times. He's also written for Miami magazine, the Orlando Sentinel, the Sarasota Herald Tribune and the Gainesville Sun. Got tips? Gripes? Pitches? He's reachable at erik.maza@baltsun.com. Click here to keep up with the dumb music he's listening to.

Midnight Sun covers Baltimore music, live entertainment, and nightlife news. On the blog, you'll find, among other things, concert announcements, breaking news, bars closings and openings, up-to-date coverage of crime in nightlife, new music, round-the-clock coverage of Virgin Mobile FreeFest, handy guides on bars staying open past 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve and those that carry Natty Boh on draft. Recurring features include seven-day nightlife guides, Concert News, guest reviews of bars and concerts, Wednesday Corkboard, and photo galleries, as well as reader-submitted photos. Thanks for reading.
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