CLEVELAND — Sunday's shooting in The Flat near W. 10th Street resulted in the City of Cleveland boarding up Play Bar and Grill.
During a Monday news conference, the City of Cleveland's Law Director Mark Griffin said, "Safety comes first. We as a city are going to be assertive and aggressive in protecting the safety of all of our citizens."
Griffin added, "This is a emergency order for closure and the bar will have an opportunity to appeal that and they will get their due process."
During that news conference, police didn't answer specifically where the shooting started or what directly linked the shooting to Play Bar and Grill, but on Wednesday evening, the City of Cleveland provided more information regarding the action it took.
A city spokesperson said the Play Bar and Grill was boarded up under city ordinance dealing with nuisance abatement.
Under Charter Section 71, the Mayor has the duty “to act as chief conservator of the peace within the City; to supervise the administration of the affairs of the City; [and] to see that all ordinances of the City are enforced….” As outlined in Chapter 203 of the City’s code of ordinances, authorized city officials have jurisdiction, upon receiving information, to “take such measures as may be necessary to cause the abatement of any nuisance found to exist” and can do so “without waiting to give notification.” Under the exigent circumstances of that evening – i.e., a mass shooting scenario that developed into absolute chaos among crowds of hundreds of people in which 6 victims were shot – it was determined that boarding up the establishment was necessary to protect the safety of the public. While unfortunate, this was necessary to uphold the community’s safety and well-being – a decision made based on safety and safety alone, nothing else.
Representatives from the city’s Police, Health, Fire, Building and Housing, and Law departments made multiple good-faith efforts to collaborate with the owners of Play Bar and Grill to address serious safety and infrastructure concerns.
· On September 7, 2025, multiple instances of felonious assault with firearms;
· On August 18, 2025, a report of fighting inside Play Bar and Grill;
· On July 5, 2025, a report of a shooting inside Play Bar and Grill;
· On June 6, 2025, a report of a patron of Play Bar and Grill pulling a gun on a valet.
This is similar to working through issues with other bars and establishments; however, all decisions are made on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances each instance presents.
The city told News 5 that despite the repeated interventions with Play Bar and Grill and the "recent mass shooting in The Flat," the situation "required extraordinary measures and made it absolutely clear that the city needed to quickly act."
The city went on to say, "The administration has a responsibility and remains committed to safeguarding the lives of our residents and visitors, which necessitated immediate action to prevent further tragedy."
A letter addressed to David Hill, co-owner of Play Bar and Grill, was attached by the city. The letter was also addressed to Blue Train Inc. and Christine Somrak, who are listed on a liquor permit with the State of Ohio.
Next Steps
The notice from the city says Play Bar and Grill is ordered to “respond to the undersigned within fourteen (14) days of this notice with a written safety plan to prevent the recurrence of the above-described nuisance activities or other activities of similar nature.”
The letter states failure to comply with the order and the cost of future enforcement actions may be billed and "could become a lien against the property if not paid and/or fines imposed."
It also said the business has the right to appeal the emergency decision by submitting a written request to the City of Cleveland Director of Public Safety at the City of Cleveland Department of Public Safety within 10 days of the notice.
“If you disagree with the decision on your appeal, you have fifteen (15) days of the postmark date of that decision to appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals," the letter states.
Hill's Response
News 5 reached out to Hill on Wednesday evening after receiving the additional information from the city. Hill said he had not yet received the nuisance notice.
Tuesday, I spoke to Hill about his business being boarded up.
RELATED: Play Bar and Grill co-owner pushes back after city boards it up following shooting in The Flats
Hill said, "I've never seen anything like this in like the history of Cleveland, where you can just board up a place publicly, embarrass and lie on the business."
He said at no time were the shooters involved in Sunday's incident patrons of Play Bar and Grill.
“At no point were they in here,” Hill said.
Hill also disputes what Cleveland Police Chief Annie Todd said during Monday's news conference about an altercation taking place after the fire department was called to the business to help with overcrowding, and then, a short time later, gunshots being fired.
"Everybody walked out here, no issues,” Hill said. “There was no fight, there was no argument, no altercations at all.”
He said Play Bar and Grill officially opened in April.
When I spoke to Hill on Tuesday, he mentioned an incident that he said happened about a month and a half ago — a shooting around 3 a.m., after the bar had closed, which he said took place on the sidewalk near the business.
"A guy was getting jumped over here, and he pulls out a gun, and he shoots it at the ground," Hill said. "And then the guys back up off of him, and the guy takes off from the other direction. They tried to blame that on us when we were closed."
