Lake Martin Beach Club is pushing back against statements made by the Dadeville Alumni Committee regarding the arrangements for a gathering that preceded a shooting on Highway 49, saying the event was never booked as a private function and that written communications and surveillance footage support the business’s account.

In a new four-page statement released Monday, Oct. 19, Lake Martin Beach Club ownership responded directly to public comments made by Shaquon Walker, who represents the Dadeville Alumni Committee. The business disputed several claims regarding the gathering, including whether the venue was supposed to close to the public, when the organizer arrived, requests to end the event and who controlled the music.

The incident occurred Saturday night following a gathering associated with Dadeville alumni. Lake Martin Beach Club previously reported that a brief altercation occurred inside the restaurant near closing time, followed shortly afterward by an individual in a vehicle on Highway 49 opening fire toward the property. The business said no one was struck by gunfire.

Dispute over event arrangements

According to Lake Martin Beach Club, Walker contacted the establishment about accommodating an alumni gathering following an earlier event. Ownership said it informed Walker that Saturdays were among its busiest days and that the restaurant could not be reserved exclusively for a private event.

Instead, the business said it offered to reserve seating for the group in its main dining area while continuing to serve the public until its normal 10 p.m. closing time. The business also agreed to extend its hours until midnight to accommodate the gathering.

Ownership said those arrangements were communicated in writing and that Walker acknowledged and agreed to the rules in writing. The business also said it waived its normal private event fee.

The committee previously stated that it understood the venue would close to the public at 10 p.m. and host Dadeville alumni. According to the committee’s statement, organizers expected people who were not part of the gathering to be asked to leave.
Business disputes timeline of organizer’s arrival
Lake Martin Beach Club said Walker informed the business that attendees would begin arriving between 8:30 and 9 p.m. According to ownership, attendees began arriving around 9 p.m., and surveillance footage showed approximately eight people inside at that time.

The business said the crowd grew rapidly over the next 30 minutes as vehicles continued arriving, eventually leaving the restaurant extremely crowded.

Ownership said Walker did not arrive until approximately 10 p.m., about an hour after attendees began arriving.

“The restaurant was not full when her group began arriving,” the statement said. “It became full as the gathering she organized entered the establishment, before she arrived herself.”

The business also said it had not been provided with a guest list or identification system to distinguish alumni attendees from other customers once the restaurant became crowded.

In her earlier statement, Walker said the venue was already full when she arrived.

Disagreement over request to close

The two accounts also differ regarding whether the organizer asked management to close the restaurant because of concerns about the crowd.

Walker previously stated that she asked both the manager and owner to close the venue, but they declined, saying everyone was under control. She also said she repeatedly requested changes to the music and was told the establishment did not control it.

Lake Martin Beach Club disputed that characterization.

According to ownership, video surveillance captured Walker saying, “Y’all can shut it down whenever you want. I’m ready to go home.”

The business said it understood the comments to be made jokingly, expressing that Walker was tired and ready to leave, rather than as an urgent request to close because of a specific safety threat.

Ownership said three marked police vehicles were already in the parking lot with emergency lights activated, and officers were inside the restaurant at the time of the conversation.

The business further stated that abruptly stopping the music and attempting to make more than 200 people leave simultaneously presented crowd-management concerns. According to the statement, the problems that led to the shooting off the property developed within approximately 10 minutes of the scheduled closing time.

Who controlled the music?

The committee previously said Walker asked several times for the music to be changed and was told the establishment did not control it.

Lake Martin Beach Club said the group was given permission to play its own music under a written agreement requiring selections to be clean and comply with the business’s rules.

Ownership said attendees were provided with an LMBC Turtlebox speaker and allowed to control the music, consistent with the arrangements discussed before the event.

Police were already on scene before gunfire
Lake Martin Beach Club emphasized that law enforcement officers were present before the shooting.

According to the business, three marked police vehicles were in the parking lot with emergency lights activated when the conversation about closing occurred. Ownership said additional police vehicles and multiple officers were present when gunfire erupted on Highway 49.

The business said it had no specific indication that someone would later open fire near the property and argued that the presence of officers gave management reason to believe the gathering could conclude in an orderly manner.

“Responsibility for that decision belongs to the person who made it,” the statement said, referring to the individual who fired the weapon.

The business did not identify the individual in its statement or provide details about any arrests or charges.

LMBC says committee acknowledged rules
Ownership also said Walker confirmed in writing before the gathering that the business’s rules would be followed and later communicated that the rules had been shared with attendees.

According to LMBC, the committee’s co-host sent a message after Saturday night’s incident expressing agreement with the business’s initial public statement, reaffirming that attendees had been informed of the rules and apologizing for what happened. The business said those communications were preserved.

Lake Martin Beach Club said it is not suggesting that Walker or the Alumni Committee directed, encouraged or intended the violence. However, ownership said it would not allow what it considers materially inaccurate accounts of the business’s operations or event arrangements to go unchallenged.

The business is requesting that Walker and the Dadeville Alumni Committee correct the disputed portions of their public statement and provide those corrections to media outlets that distributed it.

Ownership said it has preserved written

communications and surveillance recordings and is prepared to provide documentation to substantiate its account.

School system distances itself from gathering
The dispute follows a separate statement from Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Casey D. Davis, who said the incidents at McKelvey Park and Lake Martin Beach Club were not affiliated with the Tallapoosa County Board of Education or Dadeville High School.

Davis said neither the school board nor the school approved, sponsored or organized the activities and emphasized that they were not connected to Dadeville High School’s official Homecoming 2026 celebrations.

School officials said students enjoyed a successful homecoming and that the incidents referenced in the statement were separate from the school’s activities and did not involve its students.

The Dadeville Alumni Committee has also said it is an independent group of alumni that gathers annually to reconnect with former classmates and is not affiliated with the school or school board.

The committee apologized for what happened, said it respects Lake Martin Beach Club’s decision and emphasized that the gunfire on Highway 49 was not affiliated with the committee.

Wing Wednesday canceled

Following the incident, Lake Martin Beach Club announced that its weekly Wing Wednesday event would be permanently canceled. Ownership also said all future private events and group bookings would undergo substantially stricter reviews, including additional research, attendance limits, security arrangements and clearly established event expectations.

The business thanked the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department and responding law enforcement officers for their presence and service.

The latest statement does not provide additional information about the law enforcement investigation into the gunfire incident.

CNAW2News will continue to follow developments and report additional information as it becomes available.

Originally reported: https://cnaw2news.com/2026/10/18/lake-martin-beach-club-announces-changes-after-shots-fired-near-business/