The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has suspended the alcohol permits of The 601 Bar in Dunn, cutting off its ability to sell or serve drinks after a shooting outside the venue killed two people and injured two others earlier this month. State investigators say the bar had a history of violations before the gunfire broke out in its parking lot, and the man authorities have named as a suspect remains at large.
The shooting happened in the parking lot of The 601 Bar, located in Dunn, North Carolina, following a verbal argument around 1:30 a.m. on August 2, according to JoCo Report. The two men killed were identified as Jarvis Elliott of Erwin and Travis Williams of Dunn, both of whom died of gunshot wounds as patrons were leaving the bar, the outlet reported. Two other people were hurt in the gunfire, and as reported by CBS 17, crime scene technicians recovered more than 30 spent shell casings from the parking lot, with a woman shot in the back and a man grazed by a bullet both getting themselves to a hospital.
Crowd Forced Police to Call In Backup
A large, agitated crowd gathered at the scene right after the 1:30 a.m. emergency calls came in, prompting the Dunn Police Department to request emergency mutual aid from the Erwin Police Department and the Harnett County Sheriff's Office to secure the crime scene, per the same JoCo Report account. According to WRAL, police responded to numerous calls for service at The 601 Bar even before the shooting, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist local detectives.
Two days after the shooting, Dunn Police identified 32-year-old Keason Kindale Stocks of Coats as a wanted suspect and person of interest in the double homicide investigation, the station's report noted. As of WRAL's latest update, Stocks has not been taken into custody, according to the Dunn Police Department.
State Regulators Cite History of Violations
The North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division investigated The 601 Bar and found a history of violations at the establishment, according to WRAL. ALE Director Bryan House said the suspension may prevent future violence at the bar and make the community safer, per the outlet's report. The agency, which has employed 108 sworn special agents with statewide law enforcement authority over ABC-licensed and illegal alcohol outlets since Bryan House took over as director in December 2019, cited calls for service at the bar that included fights, disturbances and drug violations, per ALE.
The suspension was carried out under North Carolina General Statute § 18B-904(e)(4), which grants the NC ABC Commission authority to issue immediate summary suspensions of alcohol permits when a business poses an extraordinary threat to public health and safety, according to the NC ABC Commission. Such summary suspensions take immediate effect and are used only a few times per year statewide, the commission notes. The 601 Bar is now prohibited from selling or serving alcoholic beverages while its permits remain suspended, and management is barred from resuming sales unless the suspension is lifted.
Bar Says Violence Happened After Closing
In a social media post released the day of the shooting, management for The 601 Bar said the establishment was heartbroken by the deaths, emphasizing that the shooting took place in the parking lot after closing hours and that the venue was fully cooperating with police, per JoCo Report. The bar, located at 601 North Fayetteville Avenue at the intersection of West Carr Street in downtown Dunn, previously operated as The Corner Bar, less than half a mile from the Dunn Municipal Building and police headquarters.
State statutes grant regulators wide latitude when violent incidents threaten public safety, regardless of where on a property they occur, according to the NC ABC Commission. Dunn, a city of 8,559 residents with a median individual income of $30,540 according to Census Bureau estimates cited by Data Commons, sits in Harnett County roughly 23 miles northeast of Fayetteville.
Part of a Broader Statewide Crackdown
The Dunn suspension follows a pattern of state action against nightlife venues tied to violence. State authorities conducted multiple joint ALE enforcement actions in July targeting violent or non-compliant ABC establishments in Durham, Nash County, Gastonia and Winston-Salem, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Several questions remain unresolved. It is not yet known whether Stocks will be located and taken into custody, whether the victims' families will pursue negligent-security lawsuits against the bar, or whether the bar's owners will contest the permit suspension before the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings.
