Ryan Passey murder: Stourbridge Chicago's to reopen tonight following fatal stabbing
Stourbridge's Chicago's nightclub will reopen tonight, almost exactly a month after a man was stabbed to death there.
Ryan Passey, 24, was murdered at the town centre venue on August 6.
The venue was shut following a temporary licence suspension in the wake of the attack, but Dudley Council bosses ruled that the club could reopen with tightened security measures.
Chicago's said today: “This has been a distressing time for all concerned and, of course, none more so than the family and friends of Mr Passey.
"There is a lot of misinformation about the events of that night circulating on social media and we feel that our response has been misrepresented, but we can’t say anything that may prejudice the outcome of the case and, of course, we totally respect that.
"What we would stress is that we acted within the terms of our licence, as defined by the Police and local authorities, including conducting random searches on entry. Stourbridge has always been a relatively safe night out and we had no specific intelligence or advice that these measures should be increased.
"We genuinely care about our customers and employees’ welfare and will be increasing security and safety checks when we reopen on Friday night. We have not taken this decision lightly (we have already remained closed for longer than legally required) and will not be trading on the day of Mr Passey's funeral.”
In recent weeks, more than 3,500 people have signed a petition backed by Ryan's family for the venue to close for good.
Ryan's funeral has been confirmed that it will take place on Friday, September 22 at 11am at St James’s Church in Wollaston.
