Eagles shooting witnesses speak out

Mar. 5—GOSHEN — Witnesses spoke about their experiences leading up to a shooting in April 2022 during an attempted murder trial in Elkhart County Circuit Court Tuesday, although they didn't confirm that the accused was responsible.

Dentrell Brown, 28, is charged in a shooting during an event at the Elkhart Eagles Club 395, 225 W. Marion St., Elkhart, April 17, 2022. Police said in the charging affidavit that a fight broke out and the entertainment director attempted to remove the man from the situation, but Brown instead ran out the exit door, returning moments later with a gun. He allegedly discharged it several times and then left.

A witness said she'd left the building after a large fight broke out in the event hall, and one victim, Saadallah Altameemi, told police that he'd jumped into the fight because his friend was already involved. Altameemi was ultimately shot six times.

Defense Attorney Andrew Baldwin told the jury during opening statements that much of the evidence came from witnesses and also from video surveillance. And yet, a total of eight minutes and 37 seconds of time is unaccounted for among roughly two hours of footage police would have gathered.

Baldwin said the missing footage might show his client leaving the Eagles Lodge and getting a gun from a nearby vehicle, or it might show, he alleged, it might show that Brown got the gun from Lamondrew Townsend as the two of them engaged in the bar brawl preceding the shooting.

The host of the evening event at the Eagles Club 395, Erika Ramirez, said earlier in the evening, there were a few sets of fights. Ramirez and other event staff ushered folks out of the facility after the fights.

Later on, somebody said there were gunshots outside, then Ramirez said she also heard gunshots inside while she was in the back.

Altameemi testified Tuesday that went to the club with a group of friends. He'd broken up one of the fights at the club, one that Brown was in, though he didn't know him or anyone else involved at the time.

During cross-examination, Baldwin gave him a transcript of the police interview of Altameemi days after the shooting, claiming that he had fought Brown. Altameemi said he didn't remember fighting him, but he acknowledged based on the transcript, that he did say that.

Altameemi went on to explain that after several of the people involved in the fight left, he saw one of the security guards being shot, and began to run away. He was shot six times. He showed the jury his scars.

Altameemi confirmed that if security knew him, they might not pat him down and might allow a gun, and in his case, the security guard was a friend who lived on his block, but Altameemi said he personally had never bought a gun into that club.

Jurors wanted to know if he or anyone else had consumed other drugs ahead of visiting the club, and Altameemi said they had marijuana and alcohol. He also told the jurors that he did not own a gun.

Townsend, however, told the jury he didn't know a fight had occurred, but he knew there was commotion. He was quite drunk and said he didn't actually remember the shooting, but waking up in the hospital. Both men required surgeries. After the shooting, Townsend went to stay with his father in Chicago for several months. A witness, Ambrea Hardy, said she also didn't see the two involved in the fighting. Hardy did confirm during cross-examination that her sister was involved in the fight.

Altameemi and Townsend have also filed lawsuits against the Eagles Lodge for the fight and what they deem as inadequate protection of the club's patrons. In the suits, the two men claim that Brown (listed as unidentified in the lawsuit) picked a fight with other patrons, left and returned to the club with a firearm, and began shooting. The lawsuits' complaints predominantly surround the fact that the club did not allow weapons, which disallowed them from protecting themselves inside the establishment, and as a result, he was shot multiple times.

"If the place or character of the business is such that the business owner/operator should reasonably anticipate careless, wrongful, or criminal conduct on the part of the third persons, either generally or at some particular time, the business owner/operator is under a duty to take precautions against it and to provide reasonably sufficient protection," Altameemi's lawsuit alleges, citing damages including series personal injury, pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience, both past and future; loss of income and earning capacity in the future, permanent physical impairment, medical expenses, and loss of enjoyment of life.

The Trustees of Elkhart Aerie 395 Fraternal Order Of Eagles denied all of the accusations by way of response in the Townsend case, which was filed in August, and confirmed Townsend's request for a jury trial. In Altameemi's case, which was filed in early February, the club has not yet issued a response in Elkhart County Superior Court 2.

Brown, however, is facing two Level 1 felony counts of attempted murder as well as a Level 6 felony count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting incident, which reportedly sent two men to Elkhart General Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

The trial continues Wednesday.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.