Huntington Beach : Man Shot to Death Near Controversial Nightclub

A man was shot to death Thursday morning near a nightclub that the city has been seeking to close because of neighboring residents’ complaints.

Police said Gary Lee England, 29, of Huntington Beach, was shot in the forehead near Garfield’s nightclub, 19070 Magnolia St.

Brothers Azeez N. Malley, 22, and Ahmed N. Malley, 20, both of Huntington Beach, were arrested and charged with murder. They are being held in Orange County Jail on $250,000 bail. Three other males were detained and released pending further investigation.

Police spokeswoman Jo Anne Bergstrom gave this account of the shooting:

An officer broke up a fight in front of the nightclub’s doors early Thursday morning, separating two men who have been identified as the victim and one of the men under arrest.

Shortly afterward, an officer patrolling the parking area about 2:03 a.m. heard a gunshot and apprehended Azeez Malley and three other males. Police said a fifth man, identified as Ahmed Malley, turned himself into police about 6 a.m.

England’s body was found in the parking area in front of a restaurant two doors down from Garfield’s in the small shopping area. A large-caliber handgun believed by police to have been used in the slaying was found a few blocks away.

Police said that England and the Malley brothers had been seen in the nightclub earlier but that it is unclear why the argument erupted.

Residents of a neighborhood behind the club said the shooting is the latest in a string of incidents that makes it plain the nightclub should be closed.

Resident Tamra Watson, whose husband, Craig, spearheaded a drive to revoke Garfield’s permit last December, said homeowners around the club must contend with beer bottles being thrown into their yards, car headlights flashing in their windows and radio music blaring from cars where patrons sit after the club closes at night.

A co-owner of the nightclub, Mark Silver, said that he is unaware of the facts of Thursday’s shooting but that the club’s owners “did nothing inappropriate and did all that is required by law” to seek and obtain operating permits for the club when it opened early last year.

Deputy City Atty. Robert Sangster said that reports of Thursday’s shooting will be reviewed and that the city may ask the court to reconsider a a request for a preliminary injunction against the club that was denied earlier this year.