BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Del Denby Tavern, located on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, has been closed by the city following a shooting early Tuesday morning that left a man dead.
A cease and desist letter was placed on the building on Tuesday afternoon, ordering the “closing of [the] tavern in preservation of peace and good order.”
Tuesday morning’s shooting, which occurred around 1 a.m., left a 46-year-old male dead after he was involved in a fight outside of the bar. Police said in a news conference on Tuesday that they believe the alleged shooter and the victim were known to each other, and this was not a random act of violence.
This was not the first act of violence at the bar. In June 2021, a man was hospitalized after a shooting as a result of a disturbance that spilled outside. The person was shot during a large fight.
This is also not the first time Buffalo police have used their authority to close establishments were violence has broken out. Last December, police closed down Club Marcella on Michigan Avenue after four shootings, one of which was fatal, occurred at the club in less than a year. In 2022, Señor Tequila Mexican Restaurant was closed following multiple incidents. In 2018, Groove Lounge on Broadway was closed after a shooting injured two people, including an off-duty Buffalo Police officer. A homicide had occurred outside the bar in 2017 as well.
Officials: shooting at Club Marcella was gang violence
Business operations at Del Denby’s will have to stop immediately following the order.
Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.