Family sues KC nightclub, alleged shooter after mom killed during mass shooting
The family of a woman who was killed in a mass shooting at a Kansas City nightclub in 2023 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the club and man charged in the mass shooting, alleging the club’s owners were negligent in not securing the business properly.
Antoinette Brenson, 24, was fatally shot on May 21, 2023, while waiting to enter the Klymax Lounge, now Nytro Bar & Grille, at 4242 Indiana Ave. in Kansas City’s Oak Park neighborhood. Two others, 41-year-old Jason McConnell and 33-year-old Clarence Henderson, were also killed in the shooting. Two other people were critically wounded, but lived.
The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Tuesday, is being brought on behalf of Brenson’s three children by their guardian, Antoinette Herron. Named as defendants are Mario and Schelleta Williams, who the lawsuit identified as the club’s owners; McConnell, a security guard who was also killed in the shooting; and Isiah Clinton, who has been charged in the shooting.
Business ownership didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
The lawsuit makes little mention of Clinton, but said he fired a gun multiple times on May 21, 2023. Brenson was struck and suffered “catastrophic injuries” from which she later died, attorneys for the family wrote.
Clinton, who faces three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and five counts of armed criminal action related to the incident, is scheduled to go to trial in January. Clinton has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Clinton is accused of waiting outside the club and gunning down Henderson as he exited around 1:30 a.m. One of the shooting victims told police that a second person also fired shots.
The lawsuit alleges club ownership knew or should have known of prior “violent criminal activity” at or near the club, failed to implement adequate security and failed to properly train security personnel.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
Mario Williams told The Star in 2023 that he had called police shortly before the shooting to report a suspicious vehicle near his club. He said he was told by a dispatcher that officers were stretched thin and that no one would be able to respond to his call until there was an active emergency.
“I know they’re trying their best but if we had one officer patrolling the area at that time, or one officer showed their presence at the club, I really think this wouldn’t have happened,” he said then.
Police said then that “numerous” officers were patrolling in the area on the night of the shooting and that police were “fairly close” at the time of the gunfire.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 5:15 PM.
