A nightclub tucked away in a basement in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood had all the trappings of a typical hotspot: bouncers, cover fees, bottle service, hookah pipes, a DJ entertaining the crowd, and promoters who advertised the club on social networks.

Yet the nightlife venue was unlicensed. Additionally, prosecutors said: It was led by an officer from the Boston Police Department and a campus police officer from the Boston Public Health Commission.

The couple initially rented space at 360B Center St. to run an HVAC business. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they turned the basement into “an illegal after-hours nightclub,” prosecutors allege in charging documents.

Appearing in Suffolk Superior Court on Thursday, Boston Police Officer Richard McDermott and Health Commission Campus Police Officer Luigi D’Addieco each pleaded not guilty to charges related to the operation, according to court records.

They were released without bail.

For months, the duo ran a functioning club, prosecutors said. Some guests paid more than $100 for full bottles of alcohol. McDermott’s financial statements showed bulk purchases from nearby package stores.

His attorney listed in court records did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Francis Sacco, D’Addieco’s attorney, said his client “maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court.”

The beginning of the end, it seems, came with an altercation on July 10, 2021 outside the club.

An individual involved returned to the building and fired shots through the front door. A bouncer standing behind the entrance was punched multiple times and rushed to Boston Medical Center for treatment, prosecutors said.

Responding officers found bullet holes in the glass door, as well as blood and shell casings.

Inside, they heard a crowd.

Unsure if there was a shooter or injured people in the building, a tactical team forced entry.

Among the last people to leave the space was McDermott, whom his fellow Boston police officers recognized as one of their own. He told police he was there for his brother-in-law’s party and “had no idea what was going on,” prosecutors wrote in a summary of the charges.

“Contrary to this misleading statement, video surveillance captured McDermott looking through the club’s front door, having to step over blood and broken glass before Boston police responded,” prosecutors said.

In subsequent interviews with detectives, McDermott and D’Addieco were misleading about their involvement in the club, according to prosecutors.

D’Addieco arrived at the club after the shooting and parked across the street from the entrance. He and McDermott spoke on the phone several times that night, prosecutors said.

McDermott is charged with one count of witness intimidation, as well as two misdemeanors: maintaining a gaming nuisance and seeking criminal record information under false pretenses.

D’Addieco faces one count of concealment of evidence in a criminal proceeding and one misdemeanor count of maintaining a gaming nuisance.

Sgt. Det. John Boyle, a spokesman for the Boston Police Department, said McDermott was suspended without pay after his indictment earlier this month. He did not know exactly what the officer’s duty status was before the indictment.

The Boston Public Health Commission did not respond to requests for comment Friday.

An Instagram post from the Health Commission described campus police officers as responsible for the security of its facilities. No police training is required for the position, says the message.

Both defendants will return to court on January 7.