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CNN Saturday Morning News
Chicago Nightclub Owner Pleads Not Guilty in Stampede Tragedy
Aired February 22, 2003 - 07:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: And we heard yesterday the governor say this is the fourth most deadly fire of its kind in U.S. history, I mean, really a tragedy of incredible proportions. And it's not the only -- oh, here we -- and it is not the only, of course, nightclub tragedy that we had this week.
Let's turn now to the other nightclub tragedy. That was the one, of course, in Chicago, the nightclub where 21 people died in a stampede earlier this week. The owner of that club has pleaded not guilty to criminal contempt charges. The city blames him for defying a court order to stop using the second floor of the building.
CNN's Jeff Flock has that report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While the nation was watching another nightclub tragedy unfold, in Chicago they've already moved to the next stage. Attorney Robert Phillips takes us back to the E-2 (ph) nightclub to check out the front door in search of evidence.
This is what that door looked like early Monday morning, people piled from top to bottom. Phillips says it is smaller than city code allows, a violation he claims city inspectors failed to catch.
ROBERT PHILLIPS, ATTORNEY: Can you imagine trying to put anywhere from 500 at the lowest count to 1,200 people, through that door in an emergency situation?
FLOCK: Phillips has already gotten a judge to agree to let him and his own private investigators inside the club to gather evidence and take these pictures.
(on camera): What are we looking here?
PHILLIPS: This is one of the back (UNINTELLIGIBLE) emergency exits.
FLOCK (voice-over): The city says the club had code violations and was under court order to close, but the city failed again Friday to convince a judge to hold club owner Duane Kyles (ph) in criminal contempt. Kyles says he had an agreement with the city to stay open, and the tragedy wasn't his fault.
Somebody, says lawyer Phillips, walking past a makeshift memorial outside the club, has to pay.
PHILLIPS: Thirty-four children lost fathers or mothers as a result of this tragedy.
FLOCK: Victim Deborah Gill (ph) left five children behind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is little Ed.
FLOCK: Deborah's mother introduces us to the children that she and their fathers will now have to raise. One of the fathers, Tabari (ph) Harris, was with Deborah that night. That's Tabari, helping carry her to an ambulance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wasn't breathing or nothing, so I know she was already dead before I even touched her.
FLOCK: This is Deborah and Tabari's youngest daughter. Her name is Justice. And that's what the families of the dead are seeking.
I'm Jeff Flock, CNN, in Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Tragedy>
Aired February 22, 2003 - 07:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: And we heard yesterday the governor say this is the fourth most deadly fire of its kind in U.S. history, I mean, really a tragedy of incredible proportions. And it's not the only -- oh, here we -- and it is not the only, of course, nightclub tragedy that we had this week.
Let's turn now to the other nightclub tragedy. That was the one, of course, in Chicago, the nightclub where 21 people died in a stampede earlier this week. The owner of that club has pleaded not guilty to criminal contempt charges. The city blames him for defying a court order to stop using the second floor of the building.
CNN's Jeff Flock has that report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While the nation was watching another nightclub tragedy unfold, in Chicago they've already moved to the next stage. Attorney Robert Phillips takes us back to the E-2 (ph) nightclub to check out the front door in search of evidence.
This is what that door looked like early Monday morning, people piled from top to bottom. Phillips says it is smaller than city code allows, a violation he claims city inspectors failed to catch.
ROBERT PHILLIPS, ATTORNEY: Can you imagine trying to put anywhere from 500 at the lowest count to 1,200 people, through that door in an emergency situation?
FLOCK: Phillips has already gotten a judge to agree to let him and his own private investigators inside the club to gather evidence and take these pictures.
(on camera): What are we looking here?
PHILLIPS: This is one of the back (UNINTELLIGIBLE) emergency exits.
FLOCK (voice-over): The city says the club had code violations and was under court order to close, but the city failed again Friday to convince a judge to hold club owner Duane Kyles (ph) in criminal contempt. Kyles says he had an agreement with the city to stay open, and the tragedy wasn't his fault.
Somebody, says lawyer Phillips, walking past a makeshift memorial outside the club, has to pay.
PHILLIPS: Thirty-four children lost fathers or mothers as a result of this tragedy.
FLOCK: Victim Deborah Gill (ph) left five children behind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is little Ed.
FLOCK: Deborah's mother introduces us to the children that she and their fathers will now have to raise. One of the fathers, Tabari (ph) Harris, was with Deborah that night. That's Tabari, helping carry her to an ambulance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wasn't breathing or nothing, so I know she was already dead before I even touched her.
FLOCK: This is Deborah and Tabari's youngest daughter. Her name is Justice. And that's what the families of the dead are seeking.
I'm Jeff Flock, CNN, in Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Tragedy>
