City of Iowa City files petition to reduce H-Bar hours after fatal shooting

The city issued an abatement petition after the shooting, citing the increased number of calls to the area this year.

The H-bar is seen in Iowa City on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.

Alejandro Rojas, News Reporter


The City of Iowa City issued an abatement petition for H-Bar following a fatal shooting on Oct. 23.

The petition centers around the H-Bar, which will request the bar be closed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily. H-Bar originally listed its hours from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Google.

The city also said it will begin to pursue additional security measures in the area.

The petition comes after last week’s shooting occurred outside H-Bar, on 220 S. Van Buren St., with one victim — Waymond Thomas, 36, of Iowa City — being killed. It was the second shooting in the area after a woman was shot on Aug. 7 and survived.

According to the statement, there have been 173 calls for service in the area since Jan. 1 this year. This is a 4,400 percent increase in call volume when compared to the call volume between the period of 2016 to 2021.

The police cited two other notable calls to the area from this year, including a fight in which a “firearm was recovered from an individual barred from carrying guns” on June 19. The other was of a “large fight” that took place on April 10.

The statement also states that police increased its patrols in the area of H-Bar, which the department says has led to officers often working overtime.

The release also says that the city has “unsuccessfully sought to address ongoing public safety issues with the property owners.”

The Oct. 23 homicide and Aug. 7 shooting remain under investigation by the police.