CLEVELAND – A barroom security guard shot and killed two men early Thursday after he was attacked by a group of men who tried to drag him into a restroom, Cleveland police said.
The brawl started at about 1 a.m. at the Top Cat Pub & Grill, a bar on the city's east side. People at the scene told WJW-TV that the fight was over a $2 cover charge owed from last week.
Police said Byron Gilson, the security guard, was attacked by eight to 10 men who tried to take his firearm and drag him into a restroom. As Gilson was being dragged, he discharged his gun, hitting two of the men, said Police Sgt. Sammy Morris.
Roosevelt Guins, 33, and Alexander Burks, 25, both of Cleveland, were pronounced dead at the scene, Morris said.
After Guins and Burks were shot, the other men backed off but did not leave, police said. Gilson then fired his weapon into the ceiling and they left.
Gilson was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital. Clarence Flowers, one of the men who police say tried to take Gilson's weapon, was arrested for aggravated robbery. It was not clear whether Flowers had an attorney.
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