Two people are dead and at least 15 others are reported wounded after a shooting Sunday night outside a nightclub in Kansas City, according to police.
Police were called about 11:30 p.m. to the 4800 block of Noland Road, where officers found “a chaotic scene” of people running, said Capt. David Jackson, a Kansas City police spokesman. Police called in help from across the city.
A man and woman were found dead, Jackson said. The suspected shooter is believed to be the deceased man, he said. It appeared an armed security guard who was working at the property shot and killed the suspect, according to police.
Police then received reports of more and more victims arriving at area hospitals.
As of early Monday, that number 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 was unknown as of Monday morning. The suspected shooter started firing into a line of people waiting to get inside the nearby bar, Jackson said.
Police taped off the parking lot of the bar, the 9ine Ultra Lounge.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said while the number of gunshot victims had not been confirmed, 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, The Associated Press reported.
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.”
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 deceased.
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