On Tuesday, Mayor Robert Smith ordered the Columbus Police Department to investigate why a gathering of as many as 300 people at the Columbus Fairgrounds Sunday night and early Monday morning — and where a local man was shot — did not have a permit filed with the city.
At about 12:50 a.m. Monday, 25-year-old Jeremy Wells was shot in the hip in the parking lot of the fairgrounds during a party there. Wells was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle and was later airlifted to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo where he remains in stable condition, Assistant Police Chief Fred Shelton said.
Police do not have a suspect in the case.
By city ordinance, property owners leasing a venue for an event where more than 100 people are expected to attend, and where alcohol will be served, must get an event permit from the city. In the case of Sunday night’s party, the city did not have any permit on file, said City Public Information Officer Joe Dillon. He added it is the property owner’s job to file for the permit.
“The mayor is very adamant about enforcing public safety laws, so that’s the reason he asked the (police department) to find out exactly what happened in this situation,” Dillon said.
Property owners who violate the ordinance can be fined up to $500 for the first offense or $1,000 for multiple offenses, according to the ordinance.
If a violation results in serious injury or death, City Attorney Jeff Turnage added, the city may permanently deny the property owner from receiving an event permit for all future events at any of their properties.
Columbus Fair and Livestock Association owns the Columbus Fairgrounds, according to records from the Lowndes County Tax Office. Jane Jordan, temporary property manager for the fairgrounds, said she believed it was the renters’ responsibility to apply for an event permit with the city. She also noted the shooting did not occur in any of the buildings on the premises.
Though private security was at the scene, the lack of a permit meant CPD patrols weren’t stopping in to check for IDs, make sure alcohol vendors had correct permits and ensure the events closed down at the right time, something officers do for large gatherings in the city.
“We do frequent checks and make sure that there’s no fighting and … make sure there’s no disturbances,” Shelton said.
Dillon said property owners may face civil penalties, including being called to appear before the city council for sanctions.
Columbus City Council passed the ordinance two years ago, in part, because of shootings at the Columbus Fairgrounds. In May 2014, 21-year-old Devin Montgomery was shot and killed, and another attendee injured, at a graduation party there.
Then-19-year-old Kale Scott turned himself in to the CPD for the crime two days later and was charged with murder. Scott was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison in August 2015.
The ordinance requires that property owners apply for a permit at least five days before the event and that one security guard is in place for every 50 people expected to attend. A permit also requires a copy of lease agreements with the event hosts and proof of at least $250,000 in liability insurance.
The CPD is still investigating the case.
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