Downtown Macon bar’s liquor license suspended after deadly weekend shooting
The Thirsty Turtle nightclub in downtown Macon has been stripped of its alcohol license for 90 days in the aftermath of a weekend shooting that left two young men dead and two other people wounded.
Sources familiar with the shooting investigation have said “a beef” or dispute inside the bar at 425 Cherry St. led to gunfire outside around the nearby intersection at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 12:45 a.m. Saturday.
The sources said a suspect or suspects have since been identified, though it did not appear that any arrests had been made as of midday Tuesday.
In a letter informing club operator Timothy D. Obelgoner of the license suspension, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis wrote, “The severity of the injury and loss of life occurring in this incident ranks it among the worst acts of violence Downtown Macon-Bibb County has seen in recent years. ... There appears to be some tangible nexus between the operations of the Thirsty Turtle and this incident.”
Davis added in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Telegraph, that the matter would be referred to county commissioners “for possible further action.”
Obelgoner could not immediately be reached for comment.
The club’s alcohol license was suspended last fall in the wake of a Nov. 27 fight there that law enforcement officials have said led to a shooting along a Cherry Street sidewalk that claimed the life of a woman and left another dozen people injured. The club’s license was reinstated three months later.
Speaking of this week’s license suspension, Davis told The Telegraph on Tuesday afternoon that “we take this very seriously.”
“Downtown Macon is in a resurgence,” the sheriff said of the area’s revitalized nightlife and retail growth. “On the weekends there are hundreds of people downtown trying to enjoy themselves. They don’t need to be exposed to conditions that may harm their lives when they’re trying to enjoy themselves.”
Mayor Lester Miller, who was in favor of the club’s license suspension, said, “We can’t allow any location in Macon-Bibb County to have eight people shot and three people die in a very short period of time and not address it properly.”
Miller said that “if it means someone can’t stay in business because of that then that’s what it means. We’re doing a disservice to every legitimate business in downtown Macon that is following all the rules.”
The mayor said businesses should be good stewards and not “cross the line and create an environment that is conducive to crime.”
Speaking of The Thirsty Turtle in particular, which opened in early 2017, Miller added, “This appears to be a toxic environment.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 5:22 PM.