LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS) -- With its colorful mural, Cole's Place on West Kentucky Street sticks out.
"I have been to this venue before My parents came to this venue when it was called Screaming Eagles years ago," Ravon Churchill said. "This building is a part of the community."
But early Saturday morning, the popular West End nightclub and event hall turned into a crime scene. Metro Police said a shooting in the club around 3 a.m. injured seven people and sent six to the hospital. Police said one victim was grazed by a bullet but refused medical treatment.
"What happened last night, it's a stain, no doubt," Churchill said. "It's ugly. It smells bad. It looks bad. It tastes bad. But unfortunately it happens, but you can't not patronize this building or other buildings in the West End because of what happened."
"Things happen, any place, wrong time, it's just the way life goes," Rashanna Bryant said. "We have no control over that."
Bryant is no stranger to gun violence. Her 3-year-old son, Davion Powell, was shot and killed in 2011. Her experience is now in a book authored by Bryant, who held her release party at Cole's Place less than 16 hours after the morning's shooting, telling WHAS11 the show must go on.
"Yes, the shooting did bother me, but at the same time, I'm here, I'm prideful about it and I just feel like as a community, we are going to support each other," she said.
"I wasn't going to say, 'Rashanna, you know what? I can't even come to the club tonight because of what happened last night.' It has nothing to do with me, has nothing to do with her, has nothing to do with today," Churchill, Bryant's childhood friend, said.
This is not the first time violence has struck Cole's Place. A shooting in 2015 injured eight people, all who survived, but Bryant said the violence should not be a reflection of the nightclub.
"This can happen anywhere," she said. "Let's take it to Bardstown Road. It can happen there. I party at venues there. They have had shootings there."
In a statement to WHAS11, Cole's Place offered its thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families and the other innocent bystanders at the club during the shooting. It said it will be conducting an internal investigation on the shooting.
"All people on this site need to be aware of their responsibilities and comply with the event's safety policy," the statement reads. "Cole's Place is committed to providing and maintaining a safe environment for all. We are working to provide the best training and supervision needed to achieve this."
Metro Police do not have any suspects in the shooting at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact LMPD through the anonymous tip line at 574-LMPD.
Full Statement:
We are deeply saddened by the recent events that have taken place at Coles Place. Our thoughts and prayers are with every victim and family member, as well as any innocent bystanders that were affected by this tragedy. We take safety very seriously and we will be conducting an internal investigation on this matter. All people on this site need to be aware of their responsibilities and comply with the events safety policy.
Coles Place is committed to providing and maintaining a safe environment for all. We are working to provide the best training and supervision needed to achieve this.
We will take all practicable steps by:
•Providing a safe event, safe equipment and proper materials
•Insist upon establishment of safe methods and best practices
•Identifying and monitoring any issues
While we are working towards bettering our establishment, we will be closed for the remainder of the week.
Information on the opening or any future events will be communicated properly.