Mother Of Murdered Bar Owner Pleads For Showcase Closure

Public Safety

Emotional residents packed a Garfield Heights city meeting Wednesday night, demanding officials shut down the troubled Showcase Bar and Grille on Turney Road following years of violent incidents that have terrorized the neighborhood.

Monica Briggs, whose son was murdered at the establishment in September 2022, led the plea for closure. Ronnie Briggs Sr., co-owner of the Showcase, was killed by a man who had been denied entrance to the bar.

“It should have been closed. It shouldn’t have been open then. Are we going to have more people die at this place before anything is done?” Briggs told city officials. “My son was in the process then of removing himself that January, but he didn’t make it past September.”

The heated meeting highlighted growing safety concerns from neighbors who say violent incidents around the bar have escalated to the point where families fear for their lives. At least eight homes in the neighborhood have been hit by gunfire, and residents believe it’s directly related to ongoing violence at the bar.

Joe Burrier, who lives down the street from the Showcase, described the impact on his family. “It’s time to do something officially strong. I mean, we need to take action on them. Somebody is going to die, somebody else is going to die, somebody inside their home might die. My house has been shot up,” he said.

Pattern Of Escalating Violence

The latest incident that sparked the town hall occurred just after 2 a.m. Saturday when Garfield Heights police found a 29-year-old man outside the bar who had been shot multiple times. Two people are being held for questioning in the shooting.

The violence at the Showcase follows a pattern that residents say began after a change in ownership in 2019. Since then, neighbors say the bar has attracted large, unruly crowds and created ongoing problems that have transformed what was once described as a late-night hangout into what residents now call a danger zone.

The documented incidents include a November shootout where security camera footage captured customers screaming outside the bar before as many as 25 gunshots were fired. Police say an argument led to the exchange of gunfire outside the bar and customers ran for cover in the surrounding neighborhood.

In March 2023, a woman was shot four times at the Showcase. She was transported to a local hospital and survived her injuries. The September 2022 murder of co-owner Ronnie Briggs occurred when Travis Hicks, 32, shot and killed Briggs following an argument. Hicks was arrested by U.S. Marshals in March 2023.

Broader Safety Concerns

The Showcase Bar problems are part of larger safety issues that have plagued Garfield Heights in recent years. In April 2021, residents in other parts of the city reported gunfire incidents, including a case where a family’s home was struck by bullets during a drive-by shooting. At that time, neighbors described hearing consecutive gunshots and dealing with car thefts and other criminal activity.

The dispute over the Showcase is so intense that when an issue was placed on the ballot in 2022 that would allow the owners to sell liquor on Sundays, neighborhood residents organized a campaign and defeated the referendum.

One resident described the transformation: “It’s no longer a late night hang out — its a danger zone. Families in Garfield Heights are tired of waking up to news of gun violence right in their backyard. Residents deserve to feel safe in their own community, and right now that’s not happening. The Showcase Bar has proven time and again it’s not a safe or responsible business.”

City Response

The chief prosecutor in Garfield Heights told the audience the investigation of the latest shooting at the bar continues and that the city has started the process to shut down the Showcase as a nuisance. Garfield Heights Chief Prosecutor Edward Fadel says his office is working on possible legal action. “The abatement process is not something that can happen overnight. It is a process that is being considered and initiated as we speak, but it is something that takes a lot of time and very specific facts.”

Members of Garfield Heights City Council say they will look at neighboring cities like Cleveland as models to try to adopt new nuisance ordinances that would make it easier to fine properties based on witness statements.

Broader Safety Concerns

The Showcase Bar situation adds to broader public safety discussions in Garfield Heights. At the May 12 city council meeting, business owner Weldon Hastings raised concerns about youth behavior along the same Turney Road corridor where the bar is located. Hastings described groups of young people disrupting businesses and requested emergency action from the city.