The inside of Mosaic where Club Fathom is located remains empty after the shooting Christmas morning where nine people were injured. Local government is considering shutting down the venue.LIVE COVERAGE AT 2 P.M.
Follow live coverage of a news conference at Mosaic Church on 412 Market St. pertaining to Christmas weekend’s shootings today at 2 p.m. here.Pastor Tim Reid will read Mosaic’s official statement and then will follow-up with questions from the media.Pastor Reid and Mayor Ron Littlefield also had earlier online chats on August 5, 2009. Transcripts can be read here.
Prior incidents at Club Fathom:
On July 30, 2006, about 500 teenagers were thrown out of the club about 12:30 a.m. They loitered in a nearby parking lot for hours before fights broke out and three people were stabbed.In the summer of 2009, three juveniles were shot in separate incidents in areas near Club Fathom, though police were not sure whether all the shootings were related to the club.In September 2009, Reid removed the “Fathom” marquee from the building. At the time, Reid said the name change didn’t mean the youth outreach programs and concerts at Mosaic Church would end.After police responded to 344 service calls between 2006 and 2009 at or near the club, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield got involved and club operator Reid stopped youth events at the site in the summer of 2009. The events resumed with the start of the school year.In August 2009, Reid said he would file for a business license for his personal landscaping businesses after the Mayor’s Office raised questions over his personal finances and those of Mosaic.Source: Times Free Press archives
A Christmas morning shooting that injured nine people is further evidence that the downtown club where the brawl began is a public nuisance that should be dealt with quickly, city officials said Monday.
Club Fathom has a long history of teen violence dating back to at least 2006 and has faced city ire in the past.
“This place has consistently been a problem and the owners are not addressing the problem,” city spokesman Richard Beeland said. “We are talking to the city attorney to see what our options are.”