Michael Gidewon, 50, was shot dead outside the Republic Lounge on Brady Avenue in the early morning hours of February 4, 2023. A co-owner of the club he ran with his brother Alex, Gidewon was found with at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene just before 7 a.m. He had emigrated from Eritrea and was a husband and father of four; he and his brother had worked in Atlanta’s nightlife for 35 years.

Police say the encounter began after staff asked an intoxicated patron to leave; that man, later identified as 39-year-old Jonathan David Soto, did not depart and is believed to have waited in the parking lot. When Gidewon came outside he was shot; witnesses reported seeing a man standing over Gidewon with a gun and one witness captured video of a suspect fleeing toward Howell Mill Road. Soto was publicly identified as the suspect within days and remained at large. The family closed Republic Lounge permanently and offered a reward that was raised from $100,000 to $250,000.

Anyone with information about the shooting or the whereabouts of Jonathan Soto is asked to come forward.