No arrest yet in movie theater shooting
GREENSBORO — The shooter who opened fire on a fellow moviegoer in a packed theater lobby remained at large Saturday, while the theater planned to resume showings of the rapper biopic “Notorious” Sunday.
Hundreds of people flooded out of the Grand 18 cinema next to Four Seasons Town Centre after gunfire broke out just after 9 p.m. Friday.
Clive O’Connor , 32, was shot twice in the abdomen after arguing with someone in the theater, police said. His medical condition was not available Saturday. Greensboro police said they had no suspects in the case.
Police and theater officials said it wasn’t clear whether the people involved were planning to see the film, which opened Friday. The Grand 18 Four Seasons Station had three showings of “Notorious” scheduled for 9:30 p.m., although other films were showing around that time as well.
The theater reopened Saturday, but did not screen “Notorious,” which depicts the life of rapper Notorious B.I.G. who died in 1997 in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles.
“We just wanted to assess the situation. We thought that was the most prudent approach to take,” said Lisa Burwell , a spokeswoman for Southern Theaters, which owns the Grand 18.
Southern Theaters did not stop showing the film at other cinemas in the chain, and the film was shown Saturday at other locations in Greensboro.
The decision to stop showing “Notorious” upset some moviegoers, who questioned the assumptions behind the decision.
Keisha McMillan of Greensboro showed up Saturday at the Grand 18 to watch the movie, only to find it wasn’t showing.
“I think it’s stereotyping,” she said. “I think it’s because it’s a black movie. If it was another kind of movie, they wouldn’t have canceled it.”
McMillan questioned whether the shooting had anything to do with the movie in the first place.
Police said it was unclear if there was any connection.
Tyrae Ellison , who had been at the theater Friday to watch another movie, said the building was packed and the argument might have had something to do with long lines of people waiting to get a seat.
Regardless, what happened shouldn’t be blamed on “Notorious,” he said.
“It’s not the movie’s fault,” Ellison said.
He and others returned to the cinema Saturday to get refunds.
Ledale Ellison , who was in the same group, said he’s not crazy about the idea of going back to Grand 18 until metal detectors are put in.
Kendra Nichols , who also was at the theater on Friday, said she’s not planning to watch “Notorious” any time soon.
“I’m going to just wait until it comes out on DVD,” she said.
Burwell said three security officers were at the theater on Friday, and that security will be increased.
“It will definitely be doubled, if not more,” she said.
On Saturday night, plenty of people were at the theater, and two Greensboro police cruisers sat in the parking lot. Private security officers also were at the theater.
In New York City, four men were stabbed early Saturday at a nightclub advertising an after-party for “Notorious.” While the party had been promoted as the “official” after-party, the movie’s distributor, Fox Searchlight, said it was not related.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jason.hardin
@news-record.com
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: Police are investigating a shooting Friday night at the Grand 18 Four Seasons Station cinema.
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