Fatal D.C. Club Shooting Prompts Closing, Questions

H2O owner Abdul Khanu said Lanier's emergency closure was unnecessary because he voluntarily canceled a party at H2O last night. Khanu said he did everything he was supposed to do, including ejecting the two men who were arguing and hiring police officers for safety.

"It is unfortunate that this happened outside like that," Khanu said. "I don't want the neighborhood to have these kinds of incidents."

The club, which has been open since 2003, often attracts political and entertainment stars. In addition to the Obama fundraiser Wednesday, entertainers Patti Labelle and P. Diddy and former president Bill Clinton have made appearances.

Police said the spot was "not a problem club." This year, police responded to seven crimes such as assault and robbery associated with H2O. Last year, there were about 25 crimes reported, police said.

Saturday night, before he was killed, Able had gone out to party with Washington's trendy crowd.

For more than 20 years, his mother, Linda Green, hadn't allowed herself to go to bed at night until she knew her son had arrived home safe. Shot twice, arrested on drug charges more than once, Able was still living the life of an aimless kid -- and it scared her to death, Green said.

So when the telephone rang at 4 a.m., she knew the news wasn't good. Green, 57, a District native, spoke angrily of the growing problem of gun violence at nightspots.

"The purpose of the club has lost its meaning," she said. "It's a social outing, not the OK Corral. The kids would rather shoot than talk. It's just so out of control."

Staff researcher Rena Kirsch contributed to this report.