HOUSTON – Neighbors living near a southeast Houston club say they’re fed up with the violence, noise, and chaos they’ve endured for years — and they’re now calling on the city to shut the club down after a shooting Easter Sunday left four people injured.
Houston police say it happened around 3:30 a.m. outside the Social Empire nightclub on Nyack Drive near the Gulf Freeway and Scarsdale Boulevard. According to HPD Assistant Chief James Bryant, someone in a black SUV drove past the club, circled back, and opened fire on a crowd of 15 to 20 people gathered outside.
Three men and one woman—all between the ages of 18 and 40—were hit. Two of the men were taken to the hospital in critical to stable condition. The other two victims were grazed and took themselves to nearby hospitals.
“This kind of thing is normal now,” one resident told KPRC 2. “You hear gunshots, people fighting, naked women outside, cars everywhere… this has been going on for years.”
Neighbors say they’ve repeatedly called authorities about disturbances at the club, claiming it’s become a hotspot for after-hours activity.
“I don’t know why they haven’t shut it down yet,” the resident said. “It closes for a week or two and then reopens like nothing happened.”
Assistant Chief Bryant acknowledged the issue during a press briefing, saying HPD has been cracking down on after-hours establishments across Houston. Investigators are still working to determine whether Social Empire was operating illegally at the time of the shooting.
As of now, no arrests have been made, and no suspect description has been released. The case is being handled by HPD’s Major Assaults Division.
Anyone with information is asked to call Houston police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
