Employee at 2 Chainz-Affiliated Club in Atlanta Shot and Killed Following Alleged Dispute

A deadly shooting took place at Atlanta's Members Only Lounge, which was launched as a joint venture between rapper 2 Chainz and a local entrepreneur.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that an employee at the Members Only Lounge on Ralph McGill Boulevard was shot in the early hours of the morning on Thursday. Officers were called to the scene around 2 a.m. local time, and when they arrived they discovered a man who worked at the club had been shot in the chest. Atlanta police confirmed that the employee died shortly after they were taken to Grady Memorial hospital.

The man has since been identified as 27-year-old Caleb Culbreath, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Officer has confirmed.

"Preliminary investigation indicated that a dispute arose over admission fees to the nightclub and the victim was shot," said Avery in a statement. "Detectives are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident."

"We are seeing numbers we have not seen in Atlanta as it relates to our murder rate," said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. "We recognize that this is a problem. ... Right now, our eye is on crime in Atlanta."

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

The club opened last March and is a joint venture between 2 Chainz and entrepreneur Mychel "Snoop" Dillard, who originally came from Nashville before working extensively in Downtown Atlanta. Members Only bills itself as "Atlanta's exclusive VIP lounge for the city's socialites and elite professionals." In an interview with the Atlanta Voice last year, Dillard said she originally applied to launch a lounge in Atlanta but had her request denied, and was later introduced to 2 Chainz as he owned an ideal nearby property.