Why didn’t Kansas City act before mass shooting? ‘Some blame on both ends’
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- A Kansas City lawmaker says unlicensed after-hours events are raising safety concerns.
- City code lists the Police Department as the responsible enforcement agency.
- The city received a 311 complaint a week before the shooting.
A Kansas City lawmaker says the city and its police force are not doing enough to stop unlicensed businesses from throwing illegal after-hours events that are leading to violence.
One such event last weekend has been blamed as the cause of an early morning mass shooting near 79th Street and Troost Avenue that injured nine people.
The shooting happened even after a 311 complaint warned the city a full week before the event that social media posts were advertising an unlicensed business’ plans to serve alcohol without a liquor license. City business license enforcement codes specifically state that the Police Department is responsible for enforcement.
State Rep. Mark Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat, said concerns about unlicensed venues hosting events or parties in the city are not new and are something that the city has struggled to address. He said it’s a problem City Hall and the Kansas City Police Department need to sort out.
“It’s a partnership,” Sharp said. “I would probably say there’s some blame on both ends.”
Sharp, who is running to represent the 5th District on the City Council when his term expires next year, said that the shooting brought extra scrutiny with Kansas City set to host World Cup games next week, and acknowledged the staffing pressures on law enforcement for the international event. But he said that city leaders have long understood that the event would bring heightened attention not only to Kansas City’s attractions but also to its challenges.
Sharp said the responsibility for preventing violence at these unlicensed venues falls on both the city government and law enforcement, particularly at locations that receive repeated complaints.
Yet city officials say the problem rests with the Police Department, which is listed as the sole enforcement agency of businesses operating without a license.
City staff said complaints about the unlicensed business linked to the recent shooting were referred to the Police Department. But police officials said that the department did not know about the event before the shooting.
City complaints preceded the shooting
The city had received several business and public safety complaints about Big Mama’s Playhouse, the unlicensed after-hours club linked to the recent shooting.
Lanè Johnson, a spokesperson for the city, said the city received the first complaint on May 29, a week prior to the event. More complaints were reported on Friday and Saturday.
Johnson said those complaints were referred to the Police Department. However, it’s unclear when the complaints were provided to the police department.
The city’s business license enforcement codes specifically state that the Police Department is responsible for enforcement, which includes reporting violations to the city, making arrests, and conducting business inspections to ensure compliance.
“The Police Department is responsible for preventing any person from commencing or conducting a business that requires a license without first securing one, and officers may issue citations when appropriate,” Johnson said. Those cases are then sent to the municipal court for prosecution.
The city has few other enforcement options that could have stopped an unlicensed business like the after-hours club.
For instance, one of the complaints against the club was for serving alcohol without a liquor license. Johnson said the city’s Regulated Industries division — which oversees licensing for businesses that serve alcohol and other adult entertainment — could not take immediate action against the club.
Instead, Johnson said, the division’s enforcement powers can only be used when an unlicensed business later applies for a liquor license, which the division can then deny.
Police were not aware of the event
Police officers arrived at a chaotic scene in the parking lot in the 7900 block of Troost Avenue at roughly 4 a.m. Saturday, after reports of shots being fired.
Responding officers found a large crowd that was leaving the area and that three women had been shot. All three had non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment. Six other shooting victims also showed up at hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Police Department spokesperson Officer Alayna Gonzalez.
Despite the social media advertisements and the 311 complaints, the Police Department was “not aware of a specific event occurring Saturday morning” at that location, Sgt. Phillip DiMartino, a police spokesperson, said on Monday.
Police Department officials did not immediately respond to further questions about the event on Tuesday.
Unlicensed businesses only part of the problem
Meanwhile, Johnny Waller Jr., a community violence prevention advocate, argues that the issue is bigger than city permits and enforcement.
Waller said unregulated parties can create risks because they often lack security, crowd control and oversight mechanisms. He cautioned against viewing the shooting as evidence that officials or one business alone are responsible.
Waller said shootings over the years have occurred at licensed businesses, public events and other regulated spaces, such as the double homicide over the weekend at a Westport QuikTrip or the Chiefs Super Bowl Rally in 2024. He said that unlicensed businesses deserve scrutiny, but the underlying issues and drivers of violence extend beyond permitting and enforcement.
“The potential is always there,” Waller said.
Waller said he knows that city officials and police are trying to make efforts to address problem locations and respond to those complaints. Ultimately, he said the larger issue is addressing why arguments and conflicts continue escalating into gunfire.
“We should regulate businesses. Absolutely,” Waller said. “But you should also be able to go have a good time without worrying about getting shot.”
Waller said the Troost Avenue shooting and its connection to the World Cup conversation reflect more on a change in attention than a change in the problems in the city.
“We do have this hyper emphasis and focus when we’re on the world stage,” Waller said. “But honestly, these things have happened for years in Kansas City.”
The Star’s Kacen Bayless contributed to this article.
