Just after the Bar Complex closed for business, eight late-night revelers, including three Lexington men in full drag, walked directly into a shootout involving a fugitive and a law enforcement officer.
As the shots began ringing out, everyone dropped to the ground. When they got up, they saw a Lexington police officer lying on the ground seriously wounded. His alleged assailant fled but was later shot five times and captured near Transylvania University. He was listed in critical condition at a local hospital.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that a man his description was seen at The Bar earlier in the evening.
The group immediately rushed to the side of the police officer. As one cradled his head with an expensive Armani coat (not a blanket, as reported by the Herald-Leader), a lesbian crossdresser, who was not in drag, yanked open the securely locked back door of The Bar Complex and went inside to dial 911. Another drag queen ran to her car to do the same on a cellular phone.
All eight, including the three men in full drag, were eventually taken to the Lexington Police Department to give statements about what they had seen and to fill out reports. They finished at around 6 am. Because the crime scene was still off limits, they couldn't retrieve their regular clothes from The Bar. Lexington police drove the three home while they were still in drag.
The police were reportedly very pleasant to the entire group throughout the ordeal. The eight were later applauded as exemplary gays and lesbians during an RSIC fundraising activity.
The Lexington Herald-Leader, a Lexington TV newscast, and the Louisville Courier-Journal totally ignored the gay angle. Speculation was rife in the local gay community as to the apparently deliberate omission. An employee of The Bar posted a sign urging patrons to complain to the Lexington TV station.