((La Porte, IN) - La Porte Police on Tuesday were trying to locate a suspect in the shooting of a man outside a downtown bar.

           

Keith A. Davis, Jr. is charged with level 1 felony attempted murder and level 3 felony aggravated battery.

           

Jeremy Simmons was in stable condition at an Indianapolis hospital where he was expected to undergo surgery, police said.

           

During a probable cause hearing Monday in LaPorte Circuit Court, Detective Sgt. Victor Aguilar said testimony from witnesses indicates Simmons and Davis were arguing outside Lucky Bar at 1004 Lincolnway.

           

Aguilar said it appears Simmons was about to leave when Davis just six feet away shot him in the face.

 

Several witnesses identified the shooter as Davis and described him as a source of disruption at other bars in the city, he said.

 

In November, two people survived being shot outside Mickey’s, another downtown area bar.

 

No arrests were made in that case still under investigation, police said.

 

LaPorte Mayor Tom Dermody said the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission will be

contacted for help in deciding how to control behavior at both establishments where violent acts have occurred in the past.

 

“With the standard we’re setting, there’s no reason to have establishments that you can’t go in and have a nice time with family, friends and leave without being concerned about this type of violence,” Dermody said.

 

Former LaPorte High School football star Marcus Phelps was fatally stabbed outside Lucky Bar in 2014.

 

Justin Lower is presently serving a 60-year prison sentence for his death.