Community mourns 3 men killed at "after-hours" strip club on Detroit's west side

Three men were killed and four others injured after a dispute over a cellphone escalated to gun violence Sunday morning at an alleged "after-hours" strip club on Detroit's west side.

Community leaders were out in the neighborhood on Monday, helping people move forward from this traumatic event. 

Mandy Brown places balloons in front of the home where her friend Mike lost his life.

"I know him to be a good person. This hurt a lot of people," Brown said.

Karondi Hernton knew all three of the victims.

"Whatever the situation was, they was trying to handle it together, look out for each other, one likely, and somebody killed all three of them. It's eye-opening because if we was hanging out together," Henton said.

Hernton says that at one time, he felt safe at the home, which masqueraded as an "after-hours" spot.

"Always a party. Always a good time. Never seen no violence here. Always had a good time here because I knew that I was okay here," Henton said.

Now that mindset has changed.

It's a tragedy that's personal for community violence intervention group leader Dominque Allen.

"This is the neighborhood where I grew up at, and you know, one of the victims was a personal friend of mine," Allen said.

Allen says Detroit 300 has had boots on the ground since the shooting, providing resources and support to the people.

"Whether it be mental, physical, spiritual, whatever they need help with, we here with them to service them," Allen said.

According to city leaders, one initiative already underway is the establishment of a block club.

"There was a pre-existing block club. Maybe the folks who led that are still around and just looking for a little help," Teferi Brent, senior director for the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety. 

Since the beginning of the year, the Detroit Police Department has received seven calls for service at this address, though it's unclear how often officers were dispatched there.

"We do know that none of those calls were gun violence-related. If we had community on this particular block effectively establish those seven calls, community would have responded to," Brent said.

Leaders and community activists agree to move forward, they must build up that community.

"Community needs to work together. Community needs to collaborate together, and that's a that's a strong piece of you know just humanity is working together," Allen said. "Consistent engagement is needed. Everyday engagement is needed, and it's not just like a nine-to-five situation when you're engaging with community. Engaging with community is 24 hours around the clock."

No arrests have been made yet.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587.