Shooting that injured 3 at Midtown KC gaming center came during under-21 event: owner
Three people were shot and one person was trampled by a crowd shortly before midnight Saturday during an under-21 event for college students at a gaming center in Midtown Kansas City, the establishment’s owner said.
Police officers were on patrol in the area about 11:48 p.m. when they heard gunshots and found people spilling out from Local Legends Gaming at 3933 Main Street.
Three injured people were at the scene, two of whom were shot. One had been trampled. A third person who was shot was taken to a hospital, according to the Kansas City Police Department.
One gunshot victim was listed in critical condition while the other two had injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, police said. The person trampled had minor injuries.
AbdulRasheed Yahaya, 31, the owner of the gaming center, said the client that booked his space was throwing an end-of-the-year party aimed at college students.
Shots were fired after a fight broke out an hour and a half into the event, he said.
Four security guards were at the space at the time, something Yahaya’s business requires for large events, he said. He was unsure how many people were at the event during the shooting.
Yahaya said the business began in September 2017 as a video game truck that traveled for events and birthday parties. The event space opened about a year later to give Kansas City youth an alternative to bars, he said.
“It kind of sucks to see such a negative thing come out of a positive space,” Yahaya said.
Once he got home after the shooting about 4 a.m., Yahaya posted on Facebook to let people know he was not hurt. But, he wrote, he was also “not OK.”
“My prayers go out to the families,” he wrote. “The violence has to stop.”
Police have not announced any arrests in the shooting.
