Two shot at St. Pete nightclub

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Two men were shot during an altercation at a packed St. Pete nightclub early Wednesday morning.

The first calls came at 2:09 am from Scene Premium NightClub at 211 3rd Street South.

One of the victims, 23-year-old Deonte Archer, told police he was walking up some stairs when he was pushed from behind.  He said the person who pushed then became involved in a physical altercation.

At that point, shots were fired, according to a police report. Archer was hit in his right leg.  Another man, 22-year-old Kendric Stephens was hit in the back and possibly his leg, according to the report.  Both are expected to survive.

Police say the crowd at the club was "larger than usual."  Their estimates ranged from 800 to 1,000 patrons.

While at the scene, officers confiscated 27 grams of marijuana and said that a "strong odor of marijuana lingered in the air several hours after the shooting."

Police are now looking for the gunman.  They are also asking why the club's management --which had hired extra off-duty police presence for security in the past -- stopped  that practice.

"For whatever reason there always seems to be this big crowd on Tuesday," said Police Spokesman Bill Proffitt,.  "So we need to talk about how we're going to handle these things in the future."



Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Petersburg Police Department at 727-893-7780 and anonymous tips can be made at 727-892-5000.