Sam’s Tavern in Bellevue Remains Closed Indefinitely after Tragic Shooting

Sam's Tavern
In memory of “Maxx” at Sam’s Tavern in Bellevue, Photo Credit: Sam’s Tavern

Following the tragic shooting that occurred at Sam’s Tavern on July 6, all locations had closed. Beginning today, the other locations will slowly open, but Bellevue will remain closed.

The victim, Anna “Maxx” Lopez, who was a bartender at Sam’s Tavern in Downtown Bellevue on 108th Avenue Northeast, was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot by her estranged husband. According to the Bellevue Police, he was apprehended later that evening and is being held on $3 million bail.

Formal charges are expected to be filed on Friday against Dylan Jennings for first-degree domestic violence homicide. The police report explains that Jennings stole a gun from his brother’s safe with the intention to kill Lopez after the Fourth of July holiday weekend. He knew her work schedule and planned to commit the crime. According to detectives, Jennings confessed to the murder in an interview after he was in custody.

Sam’s Tavern has four locations in total. They had planned to open all of them back up on July 8, but as noted on their Instagram account, they were not emotionally ready.

After getting together as a team, it was decided to open the SLU and Redmond locations on July 9th, and Capitol Hill on Saturday, July 10th. The Bellevue location will remain closed, indefinitely.

There will be a memorial held for Maxx on July 17th from 1pm to 8pm at Golden Gardens, with more details to follow.

The owners of Sam’s tavern and her coworkers organized a GoFundme in her honor to benefit the local domestic violence support organization LifeWire.

Below is a message that Sam’s Tavern left on their Instagram account with a picture of “Maxx”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Almost 4 Stars On Yelp (@samstavern)

Hot this week

4.22-Acre Mixed-Use Development Approved in Downtown Bellevue

A major mixed-use residential development in downtown Bellevue has...

Bellevue Tip Leads to Conviction in Multi-State Sex Trafficking Case

A federal sex trafficking case that began with a...

Blazing Bagels Closes All Locations, Including Bellevue

Blazing Bagels has closed all of its locations, including...

Adrian’s Restaurant & Tequila Bar in Old Bellevue Closes Abruptly

Adrian’s Restaurant & Tequila Bar has closed abruptly, according...

Salt & Straw Ice Cream Opens in Bellevue April 24 with Giveaways and Events

Salt & Straw will open a new scoop shop...
Home Comfort Alliance 300 x 250 - March 2026

Doce Donuts Announces Closure of Its Bellevue Location

Doce Donuts is closing its Bellevue shop at 1015...

449-Unit Apartment Building Proposed for Wilburton’s Former Auto Dealership Site

American Capital Group has filed applications with the City...

BODYROK Pilates Opening at Bellevue Collection December 2026

BODYROK, a boutique fitness studio offering full-body strength training...

Downtown Bellevue Condo Prices Soften as Inventory Rises: Midyear 2026 Market Report

Downtown Bellevue's condo market has cooled through the first...

Downtown Bellevue Apartment Development Site Hits Market Nearly Four Years After City Approval

A fully entitled downtown Bellevue development site cleared for...

Salesforce to Lay Off 59 Workers at Bellevue and Seattle Offices

Salesforce will permanently cut 59 jobs at its Bellevue and Seattle offices starting October 5, per a WARN notice filed with the state — its second round of local layoffs in under a year.

Goban Korean BBQ to Open in Downtown Bellevue August 12

Goban Korean BBQ will hold a soft opening in...

7-Building Townhome Community in Bellevue to Feature Kids’ Play Area

A 42-unit townhome community has been approved to replace...

Related Articles

Popular Categories

Home Comfort Alliance - Banner 728 x 90 for HVAC