Brudder's Reopens After Fatal Shooting, Owner Says 'The Mood Is Sad'

IRVING PARK — About a dozen regulars were at Brudder's on Monday, the first day the bar was open after a fatal shooting of its bouncer two weeks earlier.

A group was playing pool, a couple was sitting at a table and the rest were watching the Cubs.

"Oh, I missed this place!" said a man who walked in and was greeted enthusiastically by patrons and employees.

According to owner George Michael, this scene is a more accurate portrayal of Brudder's, which has drawn the ire of neighbors, aldermen and police after bouncer Angel Ortiz was shot and killed April 2 by a patron who had just left the bar.

"We're a simple, normal bar where somebody did something stupid," Michael said.

^{A bullet hole in the window of Brudder's days after a bouncer was killed April 2. [DNAinfo/Joe Ward]}

Brudder's, 3600 N. Pulaski Road, has reopened after coming to a verbal agreement with the city and police on a number of policy changes aimed at curbing any future violence at or outside the bar, said Owen Brugh, chief of staff for Ald. John Arena (45th).

The agreement stipulates that Brudder's will not host a DJ until after the Labor Day weekend, and it will close an hour earlier than required under city law, Brugh said.

Bar employees will also undergo crowd control training, and bar security will conduct random patrols around the bar and also at closing, Brugh said. Management will set up a hotline for resident complaints and will be attending CAPS meetings for the foreseeable future, he said.

"It's a good step forward for the establishment," Brugh said.

Michael would not comment on policy changes at the bar, saying that he and the city were still working to hammer out a formal written agreement.

He did say the bar would be installing a new security camera near the entrance and also will be installing an ID scanner that will keep record of who comes and goes.

"This will not be tolerated," Michael said of the shooting. "When people come through the door, they will be on camera. Their license will be scanned, and they will know they're being scanned."

Those two improvements were stipulated in the verbal agreement, Brugh said. He said the bar's 16 existing security cameras were "very instrumental" in catching Ortiz's killer.

^{Angel Ortiz Jr. was shot while working security at Brudder's. [DNAinfo/Joe Ward]}

Michael said he had no problem working with the city and the community to better the bar's standing. He said its current reputation as a "problem bar" was an unfortunate consequence of the shooting that bar staff say was out of their control.

Prosecutors said Felix Valentin was kicked out of the bar along with his sister, who was acting unruly. Prosecutors said Valentin retaliated by firing four shots into the bar, one of which struck Ortiz in the head.

Michael said that description of the incident was not accurate.

He said the group left under its own accord, perhaps because Valentin was told he would no longer be served alcohol. Michael said security footage shows him leaving the bar and then waiting for his sister and another women outside the bar without incident.

"He walked out on his own," Michael said. "Nobody agitated him."

Valentin's motive for the shooting is not clear, Michael said. A bar employee who asked not to be named said he thought Valentin was targeting someone who had said disparaging words to his sister.

Brudder's voluntarily closed after the shooting, Michael said. He said he did it to give staff time to grieve and show the community that it takes these matters seriously.

"We're trying to do things voluntarily so respect is restored," he said.

Michael opened Brudder's in 1991 not far from where he grew up in Dakin Street. He said the bar has always been a blue-collar neighborhood spot that never had any serious incidents up until Ortiz's killing.

Of the 40-plus 911 calls related to the bar in the last two years, Michael said the majority were placed by staff and were done simply as a precaution.

"I tell my staff, if you see two flies fighting, if you see two people arguing about baseball, call the police," he said. "Sometimes a squad car does come out. 75 percent of the time we get a chuckle from police."

While Michael said he was happy to be open again, but that there was  a cloud hanging over the bar.

"The mood is sad," he said. "It's senseless violence."

Related Stories:

Weekend Violence Leaves Brudder's Bouncer, Store Owner Dead

Brudder's Closed Until Further Notice, $2.5k Reward Offered In Shooting

Slain Brudder's Bouncer Was On Way To Better Life After Losing Job, Home

Deadly Brudder's Shooting Came After 40+ 911 Calls About Troubled Bar

Brudder's Put On Notice: 'Clean Up Act' Or City Will Shut Bar Down

Brudder's To Reopen With Restrictions: Earlier Close, ID Scan, No DJs

Killer Of Brudder's Bouncer Had Just Been Escorted Out, Prosecutors Say

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