Sandbar Owner Tim Huck Answers Questions On Sunday Am Downtown Shootings

1. The shooter and the others involved in the fight in the alley behind Blind Tiger and The Sandbar—had they been admitted to The Sandbar that night, and if not why not?
 
No, they were not patrons. The gentleman that was shot, Timothy, never tried to enter the bar. The three gentlemen that were involved in the confrontation with him in the alley were denied service for being intoxicated. 
 
2. Did you know/recognize the shooter was armed?
 
No, I did not know they were armed,
 
3. Did you suspect any of them, especially the shooter was impaired with alcohol or drugs?
 
Yes, I believe all four involved in the incident were intoxicated.
 
4. What was the race of the shooter and the other members of the group?
 
The shooter was African-American. One of the gentlemen involved in the confrontation was Caucasian and two appeared to be Hispanic.
 
5. Why did you call 911?
 
They started fighting in front of the bar.
 
6. How long did it take for the first SPD officer to arrive after the 911 call, and what is the name/rank of the officer?
 
1 min and 17 seconds
 
7. Did the officer go directly to the alley where the group had moved to?
 
Yes
 
8. Did you accompany the officer and if so, why?
 
I did accompany her because there were 4 of them and she was alone.
 
9. Did any other people, especially those working at The Sandbar, accompany you and the officer to the alley?
 
They were behind us a couple seconds.
 
10. Were you armed when you went into the alley and if so did you discharge your gun?
 
I was armed. I didn’t not discharge my firearm.
 
11. Do you have a bulletproof vest, and if so were you wearing it and if not, why not?
 
Yes, I have one. No, I did not have one on. I don’t normally wear one to work.
 
12. How soon after the officer was shot did the shooter discharge his gun at you, how many rounds and how close did they come to you?
 
Immediately after shooting the officer, he continued to mag dump, which is shooting wildly.
 
13. How soon after the shots were fired at you did the SPD officer fire at the shooter and where was she when she discharged her gun?
 
She retrieved her firearm immediately and returned fire. The whole incident happened less than four seconds maybe three seconds.
 
14. How soon after the shot was fired at the SPD officer, did another SPD officer arrive on the scene?
 
At the same time, the second police officer was nine seconds behind her on arrival to the scene.
 
15. Waving the magic wand, what if anything would you have done differently that evening?
 
I would have called officers sooner but didn’t have a reason to until they started fighting.
 
I understand that a Facebook post indicated that family members/friends of the shooters were upset and were planning on going to The Sandbar on Sunday night to confront you.
 
A. Tell me about the post or share it with me.
 
Many people wanted answers and wanted to show force to get answers on what happened.
 
B. What steps did you take after seeing the post?
 
I sent the post to many high ranking SPD officers in hopes they would get in front of it; arrest anyone making threats and also have officers in Downtown Shreveport in case there were issues. Then I called my top security and had them all come in.
 
C. Did you consider not opening that night, and if not, why not?
 
I did consider not opening however I decided to open because I’m not going out of business and not gonna be intimidated. So might as well face it head on.
 
D. How did you prepare for the possible visits/confrontations by the family members/friends?
 
Well, there’s no way to mentally prepare for that. I prayed and I put on my vest
 
E. Did family members appear? What actions did you take?
 
I got the opportunity to speak with his mother, his aunt, his father and many other family members.  We watched the video I gave them and a detailed recount of exactly what I saw and what happened. I prayed with them. I provided each one of them my phone number and have been in contact with them.
 
F. What input did you get from the family members after visiting with them?
 
They seem to be appreciative of my willingness to communicate with them and at least getting to see as much of the incident as I have on video.
 
G. Did any friends of shooter appear, and what actions did you take?
 
Everyone that came that saw the video and got to hear a detailed account of the story left without any violence or incident.
 
H. What input did you get from the friends after visiting with them?
 
Everyone wants information quickly. Everyone wants to blame someone. Everyone wants a reason. Basically, everyone wants more answers than can be given right away. I have the same advice to everyone. Answers will be given. All video will be released. Nothing is gonna be fast. I’ve watched all the video. I was standing next to the police officer when she was shot. I was there through every second of the incident and I’m still figuring things out myself today so there’s no way for anyone to already know all the details. Everyone wants information quickly and the only advice I’ve given to everyone is to slow down and wait for accurate information.
 
aa. You have been downtown for how many years?

23 years
 
bb. In your opinion, how could this incident have been prevented?
 
It was a huge holiday that fell on a Saturday. More officers and officers being posted up in hotspots or high incident spots could have prevented this. Every time there’s an incident we bring in a ton of officers though next week or two weeks later why not playing knowing it’s the Fourth of July we’ve invited thousands of people downtown Shreveport why didn’t we coordinate with the city MARSHALL’s office the sheriff’s department, the state police, and off duty officers to have them posted up and actually in a post position. It’s always easy to Monday morning quarterback, but I’ve been asking these things for years
 
cc. What steps should the SPD, business owners in the downtown area, and public officials take in response to this incident to lessen the likelihood of future incidents?
 
We need to start talking to each other to have weekly or monthly meetings with law-enforcement and stakeholders to discuss upcoming events. What nights look like. I spent a lot of hours in downtown Shreveport, so I know Shreveport later in night than most. A good idea would be to communicate with people like myself who are willing to give the information.
 
dd. What impact will this incident have on The Sandbar and Phoenix Nightclub?
 
Unfortunately, business will be a little slower for a while. We will have to rebuild the communities confidence in their ability to be safe. The good thing is my customers know that these incidents are seldom, but they all make very big headlines. They also know I will put myself in harm’s way before I allow them to be.
 
ee. What security measures do you take for patrons at The Sandbar and Phoenix Nightclub?
 
We wand and pat down individuals coming in. Phoenix has metal detectors. We have security guards in both establishments. We check IDs. We don’t allow intoxicated people at the first sign of violence or confrontation. We removed you from the establishment.
 
The biggest thing I want people to understand is the officer was left no option other than two return fire after being hit. Officer was alone but only for 9 to 11 seconds before the next officer arrived. It wasn’t like she had no back up. Had she waited on the other officer I believe the gentleman would have shot the people he was in confrontation with. Whether he was being robbed or not, I don’t know. I can say I have seen all the videos. I can understand how some would come to that conclusion. I can’t 100% say that he was or wasn’t being robbed. I can say that he was outnumbered in the fight. However, at the moment of the incident he shot a cop and then wildly shot at anyone in the vicinity. The officer did exactly what she is trying to do. She definitely deserves a medal. I do hope they charge the other three gentleman involved with everything they can.