DATE: Monday, April 28, 1997                TAG: 9704280043

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY CINDY CLAYTON AND ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITERS 

DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                        LENGTH:   44 lines

GUNMAN SHOOTS WOMAN, 20, AT PORTSMOUTH CLUB

A 20-year-old woman was shot early Sunday after a fight erupted outside the The Showcase nightclub and a gunman opened fire on a crowd, police said.

The shooting marks the latest of several violent scenes at the nightclub, which has been ordered to shut down by midnight May 24. The order was signed earlier this month by Circuit Judge Norman Olitsky.

The order was requested by the city, which has sought to close the club for more than two years.

The Showcase, located in the 2800 block of Airline Blvd., was closing about 2 a.m. Sunday and its patrons dispersing into the parking lot when a fight erupted. A man pulled out a gun and began firing into the crowd, striking a 20-year-old woman, said Amber Whittaker, police spokeswoman.

The woman, whose name was not released, was in stable condition in a hospital Sunday night.

The gunman also fired several times at one of two police officers who were already at the club to help a woman who had suffered an asthma attack, Whittaker said. Neither officer was injured.

The officers arrested John D. Marshall, 21, of the 1400 block of Cole Drive in Chesapeake. He was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, malicious wounding and use of a firearm while committing a felony. He is being held in the Portsmouth City Jail.

During the past two years the club and the area around the facility have been the scene of many problems. A weekend shooting spree in September 1994 resulted in a Circuit Court judge issuing an injunction against the night spot, effectively closing it down from October 1994 until February 1995.

A year later the club was purchased by its present owner, Bob Hucks. In November an ABC Board hearing addressed charges of maintaining a noisy or disorderly establishment, being a public nuisance and other complaints.

The ABC board revoked the club's liquor license the following month.

Olitsky issued the closing order several weeks ago, citing the following violations: It admitted people under 21; permitted the busing in of college-age people to the property; operated after 1 a.m.; adversely affected neighboring residents and businesses through the conduct of its patrons, who engaged in public drinking, motor vehicle violations, noise violations, the terrorizing and looting of nearby businesses, and the illegal use of firearms. KEYWORDS: SHOOTING INJURIES SHOWCASE

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