Pensacola taking a closer look at Club Climax after Sunday morning homicide

Pensacola is taking a closer look at a nightclub after a man was shot and killed after leaving Club Climax on Palafox Street early Sunday morning.

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said it's too early to say if the club should be closed but he said he's asked the Pensacola Police Department for more crime data about the club.

Ariyell Triston Thomas, 23, was shot and killed in a parking lot around 1:23 a.m. Sunday after leaving Club Climax just across the street at 2370 N. Palafox St., according to the Pensacola Police Department.

Club Climax, formely known as the Platinum Club, is the same location where 20-year-old Elizabeth Harris was killed in 2019 during a drive-by shooting and 19-year-old Ke'Avian Sanders was killed in 2020.

Reeves was asked during his weekly press conference if the club should close.

"There's a lot of complexities," Reeves said. "… Obviously it is private property. That being said — this is not a subjective opinion; it's an objective opinion — we've had a lot of issues there."

Reeves said he's also asked PPD for the contact information for the owner of the property.

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"Anytime that we have a property that has a common issue, especially something this serious, it's our duty to look at that and have conversations with the ownership and, at the end of the day, do what's best for the city," Reeves said.

Reeves said that it's too early to say what action, if any, the city will take about the property.

"But it's a concern. There's no doubt about it," Reeves said. "It's a concern that we know that we're having continual issues at this location, and it certainly deserves inquiry. I'll say that."

PPD is actively investigating the Sunday homicide, and Reeves said solving the case is the department's top priority.

"Anytime we have something like that happen, it affects all of us and affects our ability to feel safe as a citizen," Reeves said.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call Detective Skipper at 850-698-0891, Crime Stoppers at 850-433-STOP or send the information via the P3 App on any smartphone.