Raleigh Sports Bar Loses ABC Permits After Multiple Shootings

The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission suspended the operating permits for Touchdown Sports Bar at 3601 New Bern Ave. in Raleigh this week, setting a revocation date of March 19 following a string of shootings that injured multiple people over the past year.

The most recent incident came on Feb. 15, when two people were shot at the bar and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. That shooting followed two others in 2025: a June incident in which a man was injured, and an October shooting that left a woman and two men hurt. The three episodes, taken together, gave the ABC Commission grounds to act on what it described as a history of shootings and violent incidents tied to the establishment.

With the suspension now in effect, it is illegal to sell or serve alcohol at Touchdown Sports Bar. A judge will decide whether the bar can appeal the March 19 revocation. The ABC Commission's website also notes that the deadline for liquor license renewal and registration is April 30, a procedural clock that now runs alongside the revocation proceeding.

Records show the owner, Giovanni McDougald, owes almost $70,000 in back taxes to the state, according to WRAL.

Touchdown is not the only bar in the immediate area drawing scrutiny. Star Bar, located at 1731 Trawick Road less than a half-mile away, faced its own ABC permit suspension after a separate investigation by North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement. On April 13, 2025, Raleigh police responded to a reported shooting at Star Bar in which no one was injured but multiple vehicles were struck by gunfire. WRAL's archives show police reported someone shot or stabbed at Star Bar or in its parking lot at least seven times dating back to 2015.

"ALE special agents conducted an investigation into ongoing violence associated with Starbar, which ultimately resulted in the immediate suspension of its ABC permits by the ABC Commission," said Bryan House, Director of North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement. "During the suspension, it is illegal to sell or serve alcohol at this establishment. We hope this suspension will help prevent future violence and have a positive impact on the surrounding community."

The Raleigh Police Department continues to investigate the shooting at Star Bar. No arrests tied to the shootings at either establishment have been publicly detailed in connection with the permit actions.