Shotgun Willie's: Colorado strip club where Ja Morant flashed his gun on livestream has a 'violent' past
GLENDALE, COLORADO: The wife of the town's mayor owns the strip club in the Colorado region where Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant live-streamed himself flashing a gun. Despite having A-list clients, the club has recently become the scene of bloody violence, reports suggest.
Deborah Dunafon, 72, the wife of Glendale, Colorado, Mayor Mike Dunafon, 68, owns the majority of Shotgun Willie's, which opened in 1982, NY Post reported. The club website mentions it as "Denver Metro’s premiere and most legendary Gentleman’s club."
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'Shotgun Willie’s is the perfect destination'
With 200 of the country’s most gorgeous entertainers and 10,000 square ft of space to admire the celebrities, Shotgun Willie’s is the "perfect destination for the modern gentleman looking to blow off some steam". CeeLo Green, Dave Chapelle, and NBA players for the Denver Nuggets and Broncos have all been drawn to it.
'We’ve had a lot of drama at that club'
According to many reports, Shotgun Willie's has nonetheless come under fire for tragedies and controversies despite having well-known owners and wealthy patrons. An insider told a media outlet that there was some neglect for sure, although they were trying to keep it clean. “We’ve had a lot of drama at that club, and we’ve had two people killed at that club,” said an insider. “We’re not dirty … we want to keep it safe, but I think there’s some neglect going on there for sure", he added.
Two were killed in a stabbing in 2020
In 2020, two people were killed, including the mentally deranged attacker, in a stabbing at the club where three others were also hurt. During a 2019 brawl, a Kroger executive lost his life after allegedly being placed in a chokehold by a coworker. Strangely, the strip's lawyer George Stephen Long, 70 who represented the strip club in various legal actions, died in the club, as per a report in CBS News.
After arriving at the bar he met a female performer with whom the lawyer played cards and had drinks. He appeared "intoxicated" and seemed like he was "hallucinating". He was taken home by the club employee but he was reportedly "acting crazy" and "not making any sense". The employee got back to the club while George stayed in the car where he was monitored. Later, the lawyer stopped breathing and showed signs of life. Paramedics took him to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Deborah Dunafon told the outlet, “We’ve been around 40 years, so from time to time, stuff happens". She further added, “The past couple of years has been nothing". The gun flashing incident had angered the staff who as per a report said, “We’ve already had a shooting and a stabbing … one of our door guys was in the hospital for 6 months,” a second dancer from the club remarked. “The fact that [Morant] didn’t get patted down by our security before he came in pissed everyone off", she added.
Deborah said that Morant was checked before he entered the club, however, she suspected that the guards who accompanied him may have been armed. “He did not come in with a gun,” she said. Mayor Mike Dunafon told the outlet the Morant is a "gentleman" and denied Shotgun Willie’s involvement.