Fatal shooting serves as ‘wake-up call’ to Butler County bar managers

The fatal shooting early Sunday morning at a Cincinnati nightclub should serve as “a wake-up call” for all bars and restaurants, said Tully Milders, general manager at Ryan’s Tavern in Hamilton.

When large crowds gather, and alcohol is served, “things can happen,” said Milders, general manager since Ryan’s opened nine years ago. “This just gives all of us an opportunity to rethink things. This could happen anywhere.”

Another Butler County bar manager, Justin Meiners, agreed.

“There are no guarantees,” said Meiners, who managers the Putter’s on Cincinnati-Dayton Road in Liberty Twp.

Gunfire rang out Sunday morning at the Cameo nightclub in the city’s East End, killing one and injuring at least 17, said Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac. The Cincinnati shooting ties with a November 2015 shooting in New Orleans as the 10th worst mass shooting in the United States since 2013.

There were reports that officers, working security, were located in the parking lot and at the doors of the Cameo nightclub.

Milders and Meiners said they never have hired officers as security guards. Instead, they make sure employees are constantly monitoring the bar activity and atmosphere making sure to defuse any potential problems.

“That’s the key,” Milders said. “Stop it before it happens.”

Ryan’s also monitors the size of its crowd, especially on special occasions like St. Patrick’s Day. The policy is “one person out, one person in,” Milders said.

Meiners called the fatal shooting “sick and sad.”

At Putter’s, he said, employees are trained to closely watch their customers’ actions. They’re taught to approach any customer they believe may create trouble. Being pro-active is imperative, he said.

He said Putter’s has “set the standard” that violence will not be permitted in the bar or the parking lot. He said guns also are not allowed to be brought into Putter’s.

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