Shooter to Club Onyx victim: ‘You have five seconds to get off the step’

Police are investigating an early-morning strip club shooting in South Philadelphia.

A 26-year-old patron of Club Onyx on the 2900 block of South Columbus Boulevard was shot in the neck on the establishment’s front steps around 2:11 a.m. The man was involved in an argument with a security guard earlier in the evening that resumed as the club was letting out.

As the man continued to argue with the security guard, a third man holding a black handgun arrived and became involved in the dispute. Police said he pointed the gun at the victim and told him he had five seconds to get off the steps.

After what police described as a “short countdown,” the suspect fired one shot, hitting the victim. He then fled southbound on South Columbus Boulevard in a white SUV.

The victim was rushed to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Initial reports indicated that the alleged shooter was a regular and police were interviewing about 20 male and female employees who were inside when the shots rang out.

This is not the first time there has been violence at the spot. In December 2010, two were shot in the club’s rear parking lot after exchanging words with another group of men. In July of the same year, a man was shot in the neck during an attempted robbery outside. Both of those incidents occurred just after 2 a.m.