A local business owner has agreed to restrict his convenience store’s operating hours after initial resistance to requests from city officials.
Mutee Nagi, owner of O-Kay Foods at 1801 Seventh Ave. N., agreed Wednesday afternoon to begin closing his store at 5 p.m. in the wake of a shooting the previous day that injured two people. The store had operated from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The store has been the site of more than 120 incident reports in the past year, according to City Attorney Jeff Turnage. Councilman Stephen Jones of Ward 5, where O-Kay Foods is located, said there have been three shootings in the last two years at the store.
Tuesday’s shooting, which police responded to at 2:15 p.m., sent two men to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, one of whom was later airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Columbus police arrested Leronn Kayshaw Gregory, 25, Wednesday evening for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the shooting. Gregory was previously indicted for the January 2016 shooting death of Brandon Michael Gordon and was out of jail on $100,000 bond at the time of Tuesday’s incident.
In addition to the early closing, Nagi agreed to install 24-hour surveillance cameras inside and outside the store; prohibit loitering on O-Kay Foods’ premises; contact police if loitering or suspicious activity happens during store hours; and provide any necessary assistance to law enforcement.
Initial resistance
Mayor Robert Smith and city officials from the Columbus Police Department, Columbus Fire and Rescue and Building Inspection met with Nagi early Wednesday morning to discuss ways to curtail crime in and around the store. City officials asked Nagi to close the store at 5 p.m., according to city Public Information Officer Joe Dillon. At the time, Nagi resisted making any changes to his operation.
Smith, in statements issued Thursday morning, said Nagi later reached out to city officials to come to an agreement on the matter.
“I want to thank Mr. Nagi for his cooperation and his willingness to work with us in making these changes,” Smith said. “Small businesses are important members of our community and we want them to succeed and grow, but to do so in a safe manner for the residents of the city.”
Smith added that Jones and Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor were “instrumental” in reaching the agreement with Nagi.
The city called a special council meeting, set for 9 a.m. today to consider an ordinance to force the store to close at 5 p.m. That meeting was cancelled after Wednesday’s agreement.
Jones, in his statements, said he welcomed the store’s cooperation.
“Mr. Nagi called yesterday afternoon and said he wanted to make the neighborhood safer by making changes in his store,” he said. “After meeting with him, I know he was genuinely (intent) on making things better.
“We don’t ever want to shut down any business for any reason, but stores have to be safe for everyone,” Jones added. “Mr. Nagi realizes now that the loitering around his store was causing problems in the area and he has agreed to address that and other specific items we have identified.”
The Dispatch could not reach Nagi could not be reached for comment by press time.
O-Kay Foods is the second business this week to face pressure from the city after gun violence in the vicinity. On Tuesday, The Princess Theater agreed to restrict its business hours and patron capacity after an early Sunday morning shooting outside the nightclub.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.