The New Orleans Fire Department has closed the Shamrock Bar & Grill on South Carrollton Avenue after a fight that started in the parking lot resulted in the gunfire death of a mother of four on Sunday.

NOFD Fire Chief Zachary Gremillion said Friday that the department filed a cease-and-desist order against the business, which closed Wednesday. The Shamrock was cited for 46 violations that Gremillion described as technical issues related to fire hazards.

In order to resume operations, the company must submit a plan to correct the violations, which include having only one entrance and exit to the site.

Shamrock owner Bryan Murphy said Friday he was surprised by an order he viewed as retaliatory. He claimed the NOFD did not follow standard practice of warning a business owner first. Gremillion said the search followed standard practice.

The NOFD’s closure of the Shamrock is the latest move by city authorities to target suspected stores with high potential for violent crime.

Earlier this week, City Council members announced the closure of the London Lodge, a Hollywood hotel long known for its history of drug activity and prostitution.

A nearby bar, Wit’s Inn, also recently came under public scrutiny after a security guard was shot dead there in April, following months of noisy street parties that drew the attention of city authorities.

“We called”

Sunday’s murder sparked a debate on Friday about how to deal with the shamrock.

Murphy said Friday the problems began when parking lot parties began taking place outside the store on weekends. He said people showed up with grills and music and he tried to contact authorities for help.

“We’ve been talking on the phone for over two months,” Murphy said.

He blamed District Attorney Jason Williams for a culture of refusing to prosecute people who are clearly breaking the law.

“Is he really going to prosecute someone for loitering in the parking lot with an open container?” Murphy asked.

Murphy also blamed Williams for his office’s rejection last year of a second-degree murder charge against 24-year-old Chante Mark, who was arrested earlier this week for her alleged involvement in the killing of 29-year-old Raven Francis at the bar.

According to an affidavit for Mark’s arrest, she hit a woman with a pistol in the parking lot outside the Shamrock on Sunday before calling for backup.

According to police, Mark got into a car with two men and waited until a car containing victims drove away. Mark is accused of then firing at Francis’ car, fatally striking her and causing her to flip the car nearby.

District Judge Jay Daniels set Mark’s bail at $1 million on Thursday. Police said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending. Prosecutors did not respond to questions about the previous murder charges against Mark.

“You have an obligation”

“You have a duty to protect your customers, the public,” argued Councilman Giarrusso.

Giarrusso pointed to Murphy’s expired liquor license, which Murphy admitted to having on Friday, and said he has yet to receive a new one in the mail. But Murphy said the city cashed his check for the license, a stub of which he displays in a glass case at the Shamrock. City records show he still owes about $90 in late fees.

Murphy bought the Shamrock in 2009, one of five bars he owns in the New Orleans area, most of them in Jefferson Parish. He said he only had trouble with permits in New Orleans.

“They don’t know what they’re doing,” Murphy said.

Giarrusso said it’s never fair for local businesses to be penalized for isolated cases, but he saw a pattern in the Shamrock case.

“This is not like a dispute between two neighbors over mowing the lawn … This is like, ‘I have a safety problem,'” Giarrusso said.

“How can we reopen?”

Murphy said he felt like a scapegoat after trying to curb violence at the Shamrock, including by raising the entry age to 23 after 11 p.m. on weekends and banning karaoke and dance events before the pandemic. He also recently installed a metal detector to screen guests entering.

After an outdoor shooting on July 13, Murphy said he bought a used New Orleans Police Department patrol car at an auction to park in front of the bar as a deterrent.

The closure after 14 years hurts, he said. In August alone, he spent more than $16,000 on security, he said. Murphy said he will lose at least $30,000 a month now that the Shamrock is closed and his employees are on hold.

He said recent problems have made him want to sell the bar, although he said he is still paying off a $1 million loan he took out in 2009 to renovate it. He is considering closing the restaurant business to curb violent crowds.

“How can we reopen and get some better behaved people coming here?” he asked.