After shooting near KC haunted house, is it safe to visit attractions in West Bottoms?
Reports of a shooting last weekend near popular haunted houses in Kansas City’s West Bottoms sparked serious questions about security in the entertainment district.
A larger police presence is expected this weekend in the area. But questions about public safety — and whether it’s even possible to safely operate haunted houses at all in the midst of a pandemic — remain.
The decision to assign 10 off-duty police officers and a supervisor from the Kansas City Police Department to provide security this weekend came days after a shooting near 11th and Hickory streets injured two juveniles.
Initially, the victims told police they were near the Edge of Hell haunted house when they heard what they thought were fireworks and saw people running. Once they realized they had been struck by gunfire, they went to a nearby service station and arranged for a ride to the hospital, the victims told police.
Video surveillance cast doubt on the victims’ story. There was no crime scene near the haunted houses, investigators concluded. The juveniles have not spoken with authorities since, police said this week.
Edge of Hell, considered one of the oldest commercial haunted attractions in the country, is located at 12th and Mulberry streets. The Beast is one block south at 13th Street just past Hickory. Both are operated by Full Moon Productions, which immediately distanced itself from the shooting.
“It is an open investigation that will validate this stance,” a statement sent on the company’s behalf read.
Opening night wasn’t so grand for the popular Kansas City haunted houses, which only employed three off-duty officers to control a crowd of at least 2,000 people. The mass of people proved to be problematic from a security perspective, but such a massive gathering is a doubly dangerous prospect amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Customers filled the West Bottoms streets last Friday to gain entry into the venues.
Both closed early after customers became irate about people cutting in line, according to a statement from the haunted houses. Skirmishes followed. And the night was done.
“Police and security were able to diffuse the situation, and the haunted houses took the extra precaution of closing to disperse those involved,” the statement said.
COVID-19 concerns are real
Due to safety protocols put in place to address COVID-19 concerns, the wait to get inside the haunted houses on Friday was longer than usual, a statement from Full Moon Productions read.
Lines stretched for blocks, police said.
Precautions included time spacing between groups, social distancing rules inside the houses, temperature checks and hand sanitation. Customer masks were required. Costume masks were banned. Employees were prohibited from sharing costumes.
Liability remains with customers.
The protocols were approved by the Kansas City Health Department.
“While we encourage physical distancing outside (while standing in line, for example), the mask order/distancing order only applies to indoor public accommodation,” a health department official wrote in an email.
With no order in place for the outdoors and large crowds gathering near the haunted houses, the attractions could become a coronavirus hot spot.
Some other entertainment venues aren’t taking that risk this fall. Worlds of Fun’s temporary hiatus means no Halloween Haunt or The Great Pumpkin Fest this year.
Because of COVID-19 concerns, smaller independent attractions called off their season as well. Gieseke Family Farms Haunted Hayride in the Northland, Haunted House Kansas City and the Living Dead Haunted Attractions in Lee’s Summit were among them.
Financial considerations made the choice difficult, said Jeremy Wood, who operates Living Dead with his wife and two children. The family posted a record-breaking year last year. He estimated 2,000 to 4,000 people were expected this year.
“It’s costly,” Wood said. “But sometimes you have to do things for others.”
Earlier this month, Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, vice president of Full Moon Productions, told The Star the company thought long and hard about not opening.
Macabre Cinema and Chambers of Poe, Full Moon’s other haunted attractions in the West Bottoms, did not open.
Edge of Hell and The Beast did. Additional staff and security will be on hand at both venues for the remainder of the season.
While the additional police presence is a step in the right direction for public safety, that won’t prevent customers from spreading or contracting the coronavirus.
And if large crowds continue to gather in the West Bottoms every weekend, inevitably, people will end up sick.
Last weekend’s long lines and large gatherings make clear that Full Moon and other haunted houses could be a major public health risk. They should consider suspending operations until they can safely reopen.