Michael Gidewon, the co-owner of the popular Atlanta nightclub Republic Lounge, is dead after he was fatally shot outside the establishment on Saturday morning.
11Alive reports police arrived at the scene around 7 a.m. Saturday, and found Gidewon suffering from a gunshot wound. He was not responsive. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene. According to a security guard at Republic Lounge, someone who was kicked out earlier in the night returned with a gun and killed Gidewon.
The Atlanta Police Department has not spoken on the events which led up to the shooting, and has not yet identified anyone involved.
Gidewon owned Republic Lounge with his brother, Alex, and would frequently be seen hanging out with established rappers such as T.I., Young Jeezy, Usher, Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Baby, and Ludacris. Michael’s brother Alex now heads AG Entertainment, before owning and operating the now-defunct entertainment club Compound.
Gidewon leaves behind his wife and four kids, all in middle and high school.
“His family meant the world to him,” a family friend of Gidewon’s told 11Alive. “I know that he loved his wife, his children. He wanted to make sure that he could provide for them regardless of what was happening.”
Michael and Alex emigrated to Atlanta to escape violence in their home East African of Eritrea. “That takes on a whole different dynamic because you’re really taking work home at that point,” the source said. “They were able to overcome all of that and still come here and be successful and still become a very integral part of the city from the standpoint of not just employing, having nightclubs, but they also had a foundation.”
