Co-owner of Republic Lounge shot, killed outside his Atlanta nightclub

ATLANTA - Authorities say the co-owner of a popular Atlanta nightclub was shot and killed Saturday morning in front of his own establishment.

Michael Gidewon was identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office as the man who found dead outside the Republic Lounge located at 990 Brady Avenue NW near 11th Street NW. 

Atlanta police say just before 7 a.m., officers arrived to find Gidewon suffering from a gunshot wound. He was not responsive. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

It was not immediately clear who shot Gidewon or why, but investigators have not reported any arrests in connection to his death.

A small memorial grows at the spot where Republic Lounge owner Michael Gidewon was gunned down in front of his Atlanta establishment on Feb. 4, 2023. (FOX 5)

A small memorial began to grow Saturday night marking the spot 50-year-old was found gunned down just hours earlier.

Gidewon has been in business as a nightlife entrepreneur for the last 35 years, according to records filed with the Georgia Secretary of State's Office. He and his younger brother, Alex, escaped the East African country of Eritrea due to the violence. The brothers would work as valets learning the ins and outs of the nightlife business. 

The pair would eventually work their way into owning two clubs just a block from each other with Alex heading the now-defunct Compound nightclub.

Gidewon was a celebrity in his own right. On any given night, he could be seen hobnobbing, hosting, and befriending rising entertainers or established artists such as T.I., Young Jeezy, Usher, Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Baby, and Ludacris.

He also was not one to shy away from giving back to the community, helping several Thanksgiving dinner drives among other charitable activities.

Gidewon leaves behind his wife, Selam, and four children.

Friends and family of Gidewon could not be reached for comment and nothing official has been posted on social media by the clubs.

One person is dead after an early morning shooting at 990 Brady Avenue NW in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2023. (FOX 5)

The Republic Lounge is located in the western Home Park neighborhood, which has an eclectic mix of popular night spots, restaurants, mixed-use developments, and other businesses.

The area has seen its fair share of violence in the past few years. FOX 5 has reported on just some of those incidents. In January 2020, four people were shot outside the Compound during the early morning hours, shell casings littered the streets after a reported shooting along Brady Avenue near Howell Mill Road in October 2020, seven people were injured in a stabbing during a 2021 New Year’s celebration inside the Republic Lounge, and a man was arrested after a short chase after police say he was firing a gun into the air outside the same location in May 2022.