Deadly nightclub shooting, bouncer in custody

(Chelsea-WABC, May 24, 2006) (WABC) -- A bar bouncer was taken into custody hours after shooting a drunk patron and his friends - one fatally - outside a Chelsea club.

The bouncer, 30-year-old Stephen Sakai of Brooklyn, was picked up for questioning in the shooting of four men outside Opus 22 Cafe and Lounge at 559 West 22nd Street last night.

Police say the violence erupted when one of the men, believed to be intoxicated, refused to leave when one private party was leaving and another starting. The two began arguing, and the bouncer opened fire, shooting him once in the chest. The man collapsed onto the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The guy had a few too many and he kept acting up and I guess the bouncer decided to resolve this by shooting him," one witness said. "He pulled a gun and got him point-blank in the chest," in front of the club.

When the mortally wounded man fell to the pavement, one of his buddies confronted the bouncer, yelling, "Why did you shoot my friend?" another witness said. "The bouncer asked him, 'You want some, too?' and then shot him in the chest, too."

Eyewitness News has learned the bouncer also used his .45-caliber handgun to wound two other men - one in the neck, the other in the left shoulder.

Officials say the most seriously injured victim, a 28-year-old man, was shot in the back and the throat. He was in critical condition at St. Vincent's Medical Center. A 23-year-old man was shot in the back and stable at St. Vincent's. And a 21-year-old man who was shot in the knee was taken to Bellevue Medical Center in stable condition.

Bystanders told police after firing, the bouncer pushed his way through a crowd of several dozen people on the street and ran away. Detectives later found him and are now questioning him at the 10th Precinct in Chelsea.

All the victims reportedly were at a private open mike party at the club and refused to leave to make way for another event at about 11 p.m. After a lot of pushing, shoving and heated words, the shooter and other bouncers managed to herd the group outside. The drunk man and his pals apparently wanted to reenter the club but refused to pay a $20 admission fee.

"At first we thought it was a BB gun because he shot so close. But the first guy didn't get up and eventually you could see a pool of blood coming out," said 30-year-old DJ Will, was getting ready to work the second event when he heard the shots and screams from bystanders.

"I saw one dude on the ground and another down the block," he said. "They were saying, 'Yo, yo, I'm bleeding. Oh my God.'"

The dead man was slumped on the sidewalk in front of the club and another victim managed to get across the street before he collapsed.

Eyewitness News has learned the other two victims either ran after being shot or were shot while trying to flee. A small army of police, heavily armed and in riot gear, descended on the club because at first it was thought the gunman was inside.

The bar - famous for its Opus Bellini made with white peach purée and champagne - features a lounge area, DJ's regularly spinning records, and dozens of dancing patrons. Once a warehouse, the club features high ceilings and a large dance floor. The club's Web site lists Mondays and Tuesdays as amateur nights for DJ's, who are able to show off their skills.

The bloodbath refocused attention on bar bouncers, already under scrutiny because of the Imette St. Guillen murder case. The 24-year-old John Jay College grad student was killed in February, allegedly by Darryl Littlejohn, the bouncer of The Falls bar in SoHo, where St. Guillen was last seen alive.

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