Seems like this place might be a problem…
Downtown Nashville was once again the scene of a scary shootout this past weekend, when gunfire erupted in front of a nightclub just a few blocks from Broadway.
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The shooting happened at around 2:30 AM on Sunday morning outside of La Danse nightclub, located near the corner of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Commerce Street, only about 3 blocks from the bars and honky tonks filled with visitors downtown.
According to reports from the Metro Nashville Police Department, the incident started between two groups inside the club. When they were kicked out, at least one man pulled a gun and fired multiple shots.
Video from the scene shows a man firing as several people run away, and according to police 3 people were injured after at least 60 shots were fired.
The incident also damaged the Berger Building, an historic building located just across the street from the nightclub. According to owner Darden Copeland, the 100-year old building was caught in the crossfire:
“It looked like a scene from the movie ‘Heat,’ you know, where folks are just firing at will across intersections, across parking lots. It’s incredibly dangerous. It has no place in downtown Nashville.
This building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. It was built exactly 100 years ago in 1926, and we’ve done significant renovations and improvements to preserve this building for the next 100 years. The last thing we need are bullet holes riddling the brick and the windows.”
Of course the shooting also comes just a year after another shootout outside of the same nightclub. Back in April of 2025, an innocent bystander was caught in crossfire after more than 70 shots were fired after a patron was kicked out of the club. And business owners, including Copeland, are worried that the continued violence so close to Broadway is going to negatively impact tourism:
“If this continues to happen, we’re going to lose all the tourism downtown, and that’s going to be catastrophic for Nashville.”
The nightclub is not only close to downtown Nashville, but it’s also located near the new Nashville Yards development, which includes shopping, dining, and The Pinnacle that draw tourists away from Broadway. I can only imagine that Nashville officials are concerned about the possibility of innocent tourists getting caught in the crossfire while walking from a concert to Broadway.
In fact, Metro Nashville Councilman Jacob Kupin has already floated the possibility of the city stepping in to shut down the nightclub:
“In this case, we don’t see it widespread in downtown, we don’t see in lots of places, we have one specific establishment that keeps coming back over and over again. This is life or death. You could have had multiple people killed last night or this early this morning. This is something we need to address immediately, and that may involve having to shut it down for some time while we figure out what the plan forward is.”
His concern about the establishment seems to be supported by data: An investigation by local news station WZTV several incidents involving weapons, including multiple reports of people with guns or threats of violence. found 522 calls for service at the location of La Danse since just January 1, 2025, including “several incidents involving weapons, including multiple reports of people with guns or threats of violence.”
I’m sure Nashville officials are concerned about what is clearly a trend, and wouldn’t be surprised to see them take action on the location soon.
But until then, I know I wouldn’t feel safe walking by the bar on my way to Broadway late at night.
