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LAS VEGAS (AP) — The co-owner of the strip club where three people were shot over the NBA All-Star weekend says pro football player Adam "Pacman" Jones came and left with the shooter, an account that differs from that of Jones' lawyer.
"He denied any knowledge of the shooter, but he was sitting right next to him," club co-owner Robert Susnar told the Las Vegas Review-Journal for Wednesday's edition. "Those guys came in together and left together."
Jones' lawyer, Worrick Robinson, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Jones did not know anyone involved in the shooting and was interviewed by local authorities as a witness, not as a suspect. Police have not said Jones is a person of interest in the case.
Susnar said his recollection of the events was based upon his interviews with employees and club surveillance video.
He said the trouble started after 4 a.m., when Jones and his entourage of a half-dozen people returned to the club for the second time that evening.
Jones tossed hundreds of $1 bills on the stripper stage, Susnar said, adding that when a dancer started grabbing the money without Jones' permission, he got angry, grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the stage.
Security guard Aaron Cudworth, a mixed-martial artist with professional fighting experience, intervened and scuffled with Jones and members of his entourage, he said.
Jones then threatened to kill the guard, Susnar said.
Order was eventually restored and everyone moved outside before the gunman opened fire toward the front door of the club, hitting Cudworth, security guard Tom Urbanski and a female customer, he said.
"He goes out, retrieves a gun, then shoots two security guards, pretty much making good on the threat made by Pacman Jones," Susnar said.
Robinson told the paper that the entertainers began throwing cash into the air, sparking a fight among women on and off the stage as they scrambled for the money. He said Jones was attacked when he tried to get his own money back. "Mr. Jones didn't assault anybody," Robinson said.
Robinson and Susnar did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press Wednesday.
Cudworth, who was shot in the chest and arm, was released from University Medical Center on Tuesday. Urbanski, 43, remained at the hospital in critical condition. He was expected to live, but a bullet severed his spine and paralyzed him below the waist, his father told the paper.
"He's going to be paralyzed for life, and what did he do?" Don Urbanski said. "I just want somebody to pay for it."
Jones has faced criminal charges three times since the Tennessee Titans made the cornerback the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft — all involving incidents at nightclubs in Tennessee.
The cornerback promised he had seen the inside of a courtroom for the last time Feb. 1, when a judge dismissed an assault charge filed by a woman who claimed Jones spit on her during an October nightclub altercation.
Charges in a confrontation with a club manager during a private party in July 2005 also have been dismissed.
Jones was ordered to stay out of trouble until July 5 if he wants his criminal record cleared of public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges for an August arrest in the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro.
Robinson said he didn't think the Las Vegas incident violated the judge's order.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
"He denied any knowledge of the shooter, but he was sitting right next to him," club co-owner Robert Susnar told the Las Vegas Review-Journal for Wednesday's edition. "Those guys came in together and left together."
Jones' lawyer, Worrick Robinson, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Jones did not know anyone involved in the shooting and was interviewed by local authorities as a witness, not as a suspect. Police have not said Jones is a person of interest in the case.
Susnar said his recollection of the events was based upon his interviews with employees and club surveillance video.
He said the trouble started after 4 a.m., when Jones and his entourage of a half-dozen people returned to the club for the second time that evening.
Jones tossed hundreds of $1 bills on the stripper stage, Susnar said, adding that when a dancer started grabbing the money without Jones' permission, he got angry, grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the stage.
Security guard Aaron Cudworth, a mixed-martial artist with professional fighting experience, intervened and scuffled with Jones and members of his entourage, he said.
Jones then threatened to kill the guard, Susnar said.
Order was eventually restored and everyone moved outside before the gunman opened fire toward the front door of the club, hitting Cudworth, security guard Tom Urbanski and a female customer, he said.
"He goes out, retrieves a gun, then shoots two security guards, pretty much making good on the threat made by Pacman Jones," Susnar said.
Robinson told the paper that the entertainers began throwing cash into the air, sparking a fight among women on and off the stage as they scrambled for the money. He said Jones was attacked when he tried to get his own money back. "Mr. Jones didn't assault anybody," Robinson said.
Robinson and Susnar did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press Wednesday.
Cudworth, who was shot in the chest and arm, was released from University Medical Center on Tuesday. Urbanski, 43, remained at the hospital in critical condition. He was expected to live, but a bullet severed his spine and paralyzed him below the waist, his father told the paper.
"He's going to be paralyzed for life, and what did he do?" Don Urbanski said. "I just want somebody to pay for it."
Jones has faced criminal charges three times since the Tennessee Titans made the cornerback the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft — all involving incidents at nightclubs in Tennessee.
The cornerback promised he had seen the inside of a courtroom for the last time Feb. 1, when a judge dismissed an assault charge filed by a woman who claimed Jones spit on her during an October nightclub altercation.
Charges in a confrontation with a club manager during a private party in July 2005 also have been dismissed.
Jones was ordered to stay out of trouble until July 5 if he wants his criminal record cleared of public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges for an August arrest in the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro.
Robinson said he didn't think the Las Vegas incident violated the judge's order.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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