MELBOURNE, Fla. – Seven months after police said Elvin Clark stood on a packed dance floor and fatally shot a man and wounded a bartender at a Melbourne bar, the business is now closed and a new one is moving in.
Following the shooting at Off The Traxx, which killed 34-year-old Alain Noel, Mayor Paul Alfrey said downtown safety needed to be addressed.
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“A lot of the other business owners were very concerned (about) their business being affected,” the mayor said.
The shooting wasn’t the first time police were called to Off The Traxx over the years, but the mayor said the tragedy made the bar owners want to part ways.
“They decided on their own that it was in their best interest to close,” Alfrey said.
Lumber Jack’s Axe House, which is currently next to Off The Traxx, is now moving in.
Owner Terry O’Grady said his family-friendly business expanding to the larger space next door will be a welcomed change.
“We thought that we could rebrand it, bring something to the community that the community really wants,” O’Grady said. “We hope that people understand that there’s a lot of good in the downtown area and we’re going to add to it.”
O’Grady said he’s hoping to open the new store by Dec. 1.
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