By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
In the wake of a killing June 30 outside a Federal Hill nightclub, the City of Providence moved to permanently close the club. But a hearing was continued in part because police were unable to access video from inside the club.
Family members of Stephen Cabral sat quietly, holding up photos of the 28-year old victim during the hearing by the Providence Board of Licenses at City Hall Wednesday afternoon.
“In terms of threats to the public, we still have suspects at large,” said Board Chairman Dylan Conley, as he shepherded a unanimous vote of the five-member panel to keep the club closed as the hearing continued.
“There’s nothing before you now to suggest that there was a confrontation, altercation, fight, argument of any sort in the establishment,” Nick Hemond, the club’s attorney maintained.
“We’ve identified and have arrest warrants at the current time for seven suspects,” Providence Police Detective Theodore Michael revealed.
“We’re very close to identifying an eighth suspect. Four of the suspects have been apprehended,” he said.
“While there is limited and tenuous evidence directly linking the altercation to the establishment thus far, I believe that it’s sufficient to maintain that the establishment will be closed until we complete the show cause hearing,” Conley said.
The hearing was continued after Detective Michael revealed that police could only view video showing a small section of the sidewalk outside the club, but were locked out of a video recorder showing the inside of the Spruce Street club, because a former manager who had the necessary passwords left the business and the owner does not have them.
Michael said that he was able to identify several suspects using the video that he could view, and had obtained a warrant for passwords to the club’s digital video recorder from Cox Communications at its Atlanta, Georgia headquarters.
