2 dead, at least 15 reported wounded in shooting outside Kansas City club, police say
Update: Kansas City police on Monday identified the suspected shooter, who was killed at the scene. That story is posted here.
Two people are dead and at least 15 others were reported wounded after a shooting Sunday night outside a nightclub in Kansas City, according to police.
A man started firing into a line of people waiting to get inside the 9ine Ultra Lounge bar about 11:30 p.m. in the 4800 block of Noland Road, said Capt. David Jackson, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman.
The shooter was shot and killed by a security guard working on the property, according to police. A man and woman were found dead at the scene. The dead man is believed to be the shooter, Jackson said.
Officers arriving at the bar found “a chaotic scene” of people running, and the police department called in help from across the city. Police then received reports of more and more victims arriving at area hospitals.
As of early Monday, the number of injured was at least 15, including three people who were listed in critical condition, Jackson said. It was unclear if all 15 people suffered gunshot wounds.
A motive for the shooting was unknown as of Monday morning.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said the number of gunshot victims had not been confirmed, but she called the total high. She said gun violence is an epidemic in Kansas City.
“It just puts such a tragic end to such a wonderful day in Kansas City,” Baker said hours after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans, earning them a spot at Super Bowl LIV. “I have scores, really, that are in the hospital right now having their wounds mended.”
A Facebook post on the club’s page advertised Sunday night’s “Sold Out Sundays” event, which appeared to be a celebration of the Chiefs.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said his thoughts were with the families and friends of those whose lives were lost or affected during the shooting.
“Our greatest challenges remain even this morning in our community,” Lucas wrote on Twitter. “Thankful security appears to have kept the situation from being even worse.”
Baker said it was too soon for her to comment on what unfolded outside the nightclub. She said she is grateful anytime someone steps up to help others, but that statistics have shown more guns do not make communities safer.
“Way too many people are armed,” she said.
Several areas were blocked off as police continued the investigation early Monday. The Independence Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office were assisting at the scene, Sheriff Darryl Forté said in a Twitter post.
Baker called on anyone with cellphone footage that might assist detectives to call the Kansas City Police Department.
“It’s just hard to stand here and talk about this kind of tragedy on really one of the best days Kansas City has had in a long time,” she told reporters.
Police were working to notify the next of kin of the dead.
Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith is scheduled to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Monday at police headquarters to discuss the shooting.
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 2:32 AM.
