CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati nightclub operator denies that some patrons were allowed to bypass security checks that included metal-detection wands before a gunbattle erupted, killing one man and injuring 16 other people.

Julian “Jay” Rodgers rejected claims that people could pay to avoid the long line to get into the club without being checked. Police estimate 200 people were inside early Sunday when a dispute escalated into a gunfight in which more than 20 shots were fired by an unknown number of shooters in the popular club near the Ohio River east of downtown Cincinnati.

“There have been untrue reports that certain patrons were allowed to enter the club without passing through security,” Rodgers said Monday.