An unidentified man was shot around 2:40 a.m. last night inside Joe’s Restaurant on 9th Street NW, right next to popular local bar and music venue DC9. The man later died at an area hospital. And of course, only hours after that, D.C. Council member Jim Graham is calling for the restaurant’s permanent closure. This is becoming a familiar pattern.

Graham says the restaurant is “notorious and dangerous,” dating back to shooting and violence that have occurred at that location in the past. Graham says two men were wounded at the restaurant in March when it operated under a different name.

Graham is renewing his calls to have the restaurant permanently closed under the nuisance provisions of the District’s drug laws.

Joe’s restaurant is a greasy spoon that serves tasty and cheap diner fare. Despite the promise of being open “24 hours” on the door, in reality its hours are somewhat capricious and it tends only to be open late at night and on weekends. It is somewhat perplexing to wonder exactly what about Joe’s delicious steak and eggs is contributing to violence that’s unfortunately happening between its customers. You can almost understand the thinking behind the temporary H2O shutdown better than this one, since it at least involves an establishment that serves alcohol.

Police are still investigating the murder, and are checking surveillance video from a camera near the intersection of 9th and T.

Photo by Ian Buckwalter