Popular Louisville Bar Loses Liquor License for Connections to DJ Lil Jerry & Friends

DJ Lil Jerry has made a big mess for one popular Louisville bar.

Baxter’s 942 recently learned Metro Louisville ABC will not renew their liquor license because of  “repeated acts of violence emanating from events occurring in the vicinity of the licensed premises at 942 Baxter Ave., where the Licensee hired DJ Lil Jerry & Friends.”

According to WAVE-3, there have been four separate shootings outside of Louisville bars after DJ Lil Jerry performed. It’s unclear exactly why violence seems to follow DJ Lil Jerry’s shows, but there is plenty of evidence to support it.

On Aug. 11, two men were killed following a triple shooting outside of Baxter’s on the night DJ Lil Jerry was performing. A man was injured in a shooting at Baxter’s earlier this month on the night the DJ was performing.

“After the first shooting that took place, based on a reasonable person standard, Project Baxter 942 knowingly endangered the community by hiring DJ Lil Jerry a second time,” the letter stated.

Baxter’s 942 is not the first Louisville business derailed by violence from these shows.

Afrokanza Lounge is just 1.3 miles south of Baxter’s on Bardstown Road. It closed in July of this year after “multiple violations with Louisville Metro ABC.” They had been investigated for more than a year after receiving multiple complaints, but the main issue happened in July 2023 when one person was killed and two were injured in a shooting. DJ Lil Jerry performed that night.

DJ Lil Jerry was also in the booth at Southern Restaurant & Lounge before one of the most violent nights in the city last summer. Six people were shot and two died in Aug. 2023. Considered “a threat to public safety,” it has since been closed.

Baxter’s 942 can appeal the decision to the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, but it’s clear the Louisville branch will no longer tolerate problems from businesses who hire DJ Lil Jerry.