BREAKING: 1 Dead in Shooting at New Tuscaloosa Hookah Lounge

Police are on the scene of the second fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa County in 24 hours.

Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the multi-agency Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said police officers and VCU investigators are at the brand-new CRU Lounge on Highway 69 South in Tuscaloosa Sunday morning at a fatal shooting.

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Kennedy said one person was shot and killed, and an investigation is ongoing.

No other details were available at 3:15 Sunday morning when Kennedy first alerted the media.

The Thread profiled CRU last June when the Tuscaloosa City Council first approved their application to open.

The lounge is part of a broader chain of hookah clubs that serve food and drinks and is located at 6571 Highway 69 South in Patriot Park where Lucy's Old Country Cooking did business before they relocated to Alberta.

"We believe this is going to be a bar environment," Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley said at the time. "It has a very large parking lot and if they're full inside, we believe it will overflow into the parking lot and we'll have issues there so the police department is heavily against this application."

The shooting follows deadly carnage Saturday morning in Tuscaloosa County, where three people allegedly opened fire on a party in Buhl, killing a 20-year-old and injuring three others.

The homicide marks the second one investigated in Tuscaloosa County so far in 2024.

This is a breaking, developing story - stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread for updates as they become available.