A nightclub in Waterbury had its liquor license suspended and was forced to close due to ongoing violence, according to the Department of Consumer Protection.

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo wrote a letter to the DCP indicating that additional patrolling and surveillance of the Litt Ultra Lounge, also known as Lit Ultra Lounge, was draining the department’s resources.

The DCP ordered the indefinite closure of the lounge and immediately suspended its liquor license, pending proceedings for further action, according to a letter to the lounge from Maureen Magnan, Deputy Commissioner of the DCP.

“We expect our permittees to take seriously their responsibility to protect public health and safety, and it is clear from this incident and others that Litt Ultra Lounge is unable to maintain its commitment to that responsibility,” Magnan said in a statement Wednesday night. “This senseless act of violence resulted in the loss of a life we cannot get back, and my thoughts go out to the victim’s friends and family.”

Spagnolo said that a near-constant police presence has been required in the area to quell possible incidents of violence since a February shooting where a man was shot by a patron who had been kicked out of the bar as a part of a large group disturbance. There was another shooting at the bar on Sept. 3 that killed one man and injured a Bridgeport woman and a New Britain man, according to Spagnolo.

On Feb. 12, police responded to the club for reports of shots fired. Officers found the head of security injured in the back of the bar with gunshot wounds to his left forearm and right foot, according to Spagnolo.

Investigations into the shooting revealed that bar security had to remove a large group due to a disturbance. Security then had to forcibly hold the door shut to keep the group out. Then one of the patrons opened fire into the bar, hitting the head of security, according to Spagnolo.

Police recovered 24 shell casings outside the bar in the roadway and on the sidewalk. The casings were from two different calibers of firearms, Spagnolo said.

On Sept. 3, police responded to reports of shots fired at the nightclub right before 2 a.m. Officers found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The man later died at St. Mary’s Hospital. He was identified as Adam Bellamy, 38, of New Jersey.

Two other victims sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and were treated and released from the hospital, according to Spagnolo.

While investigating this case, police recovered one firearm and found the bar does not have an operational surveillance system, Spagnolo said.

Waterbury Police Lt. Ryan Bessette said the department has been monitoring city bars for disturbances, but this specific bar has needed a “heightened awareness” following the February shooting. Bessette highlighted that there are several apartments near the nightclub.

According to Spagnolo, these incidents have reportedly put a strain on the Waterbury Police Department’s resources and have taken attention away from other areas of need. The department is also worried about the safety of residents and officers in the area.

“The continued operation of Lit Ultra Lounge and the criminal activity that occurs there has a negative impact on both public safety and the quality of life in the City of Waterbury,” Spagnolo said.