Mother of man fatally shot at suburban nightclub suing owners

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Police investigate a fatal shooting early April 11, 2016 outside a Blue Island nightclub. | Network Video Productions

The mother of a man killed in a south suburban Blue Island nightclub shooting last year filed a lawsuit Friday against the owners of the club, a promoter and the accused shooter.

Officers responded to a call of shots fired about 1 a.m. April 11, 2016 at the Premium 127 Club at 1859 W. 127th Street, according to a statement from Blue Island police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The shooting killed Michael Goldsmith, 27, of Chicago, and wounded another man.

Anthony Timberlake | Cook County sheriff’s office

Anthony Timberlake | Cook County sheriff’s office

Anthony D. Timberlake, 21, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a handgun and felony mob action for the shooting, Cook County court records show.

Langser Starnes, the mother of Goldsmith, filed the four-count suit on Friday in Cook County Circuit Court and seeks more than $200,000 in damages.

Henry Bays, who was wounded in the shooting, is seeking more than $150,000 in a suit filed on March 9 against the same defendants. 

The shooting happened because the club allowed a then-underage Timberlake to become intoxicated at the bar and then asked him to leave when he “became loud, boisterous and eventually violent,”  when he later returned to the club and fired shots inside, according to the suits. 

Timberlake remains held on $1.5 million bail at Cook County Jail, sheriff’s office records show. He was expected to next appear in court April 26.

A representative for Premium 127 did not respond to a request for comment. 

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