10 wounded in shooting outside Allentown nightclub

ALLENTOWN — Clubgoers were leaving the Deja Vu nightclub on Hamilton Street on a rather slow night early Thursday when at least three gunmen opened fire outside in a gang-related hit attempt, leaving 10 people wounded in one of the worst mass shootings in Lehigh Valley history.

Police and medical officials would not describe the severity of the injuries, saying only that all 10 were expected to survive and that many remained hospitalized. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots, people running away in a panic, and a vehicle speeding away.

Most or all of the victims had just left the club or were standing on the sidewalk when the shooting erupted, Allentown Police Capt. Bill Lake said.

As of Thursday night, no one had been arrested and police had received little cooperation from witnesses. The club’s owner said he has turned over surveillance footage.

The mass shooting angered state and local politicians, who called for quicker action to shut down the club and for stricter gun-control legislation.

A resident who lives near the club said she awoke to the sound of gunshots and saw people running. After the last few shots, she heard a car speeding away.

“When everything went silent, all you could hear is the screaming and panicking,” said the woman, who declined to give her name because she fears reprisal. “All I could think was, someone is dying.”

Allentown police and ambulance crews swarmed the scene at 1:56 a.m., finding chaos outside the club. For at least three hours, police closed Hamilton Street between Third and Fourth Streets as they investigated and placed at least 18 evidence markers. In the morning, blood remained on the door frame outside.

Another woman who lives near Deja Vu, and also asked not to be named because she fears reprisal, said she was awakened by multiple shots and a loud bang. She saw people hiding behind cars, others carrying friends out to get them help.

“EMS drivers didn’t know where to start, people were everywhere,” she said.

In a statement, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said the shootings did not appear to be random. “This was not the work of one armed suspect,” he added. “It appears there were several shooters, likely three in number.”

Martin said some witnesses and victims were being uncooperative with investigators.

“It is more likely than not that the outcome of the investigation will reveal a connection to gang violence,” he said.

Deja Vu owner Osiris Guzman said about 50 people were inside when the shooting happened. No one in the club returned fire, he said in a statement.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat who represents the area, said, “The scourge of gun violence must be addressed.”

Deja Vu is a popular club. Promotional videos show people singing along to thumping music and waitstaff holding bottles of liquor aloft while dancing through the dense crowds. Some of the club’s promotions include Sexy Shorts Party, free hookahs, and ladies’ night.

Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning, like most weekdays, the club operated as a traditional bar. Only a few dozen people were there when the shooting erupted, said Ted Zeller, an attorney for the club.

“It was almost empty,” he said. “That was a very slow night.”

At the Allentown Rescue Mission a few doors west of Deja Vu, program manager Edwin Ramos sent an email alerting staff members to “another shooting” on the block and asked them to pray for the victims. “Let us also pray that the violence stops altogether,” he wrote.

Shelter resident James Saunders said residents had grown accustomed to violence on the block.

"We eating breakfast and see, `Oh, another shooting,' " he said.

But it could have been worse, he added. “I lived in Baltimore. I lived in Philadelphia for 10 years. This is nothing.”