Kansas City gunfire kills 2 people
15 more wounded when assailant opened fire outside bar
Two people were killed and 15 others wounded Sunday in Kansas City, Mo., when a gunman opened fire on a line of people waiting outside a bar, police said.
Capt. David Jackson of the Kansas City Police Department told reporters that officers were called in from all over the Missouri metro area when the shooting began about 11:30 p.m., adding that they arrived at a “chaotic scene.” Jackson said a man and woman were found dead in a parking lot soon after.
“As the investigation unfolded, at least 15 other victims arrived at area hospitals,” police said in a tweet about 6 a.m. Monday. Three of the victims were in critical condition, he added.
Police said an armed security guard engaged the assailant outside the bar, but few other details were immediately available Monday morning. The department said it thinks the gunman was the deceased man.
“A preliminary investigation shows that there was a line of people to get into the establishment and that the suspect approached the line and started shooting into the line,” Jackson said. “We don’t know if he was targeting a specific person or if there was a relationship or anything that led up to that.”
Citing local media outlets, the Associated Press identified the bar as the 9ine Ultra Lounge. Before the shooting, a Facebook page associated with the lounge advertised an event that appeared to be a celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, which advanced to its first Super Bowl in 50 years on Sunday after beating the Tennessee Titans.
Jean Peters Baker, the prosecutor for Jackson County, Mo., told reporters that the shooting marked a “tragic end to such a wonderful day in Kansas City.”
“It’s 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 added.
The shooting in Kansas City occurred after a series of violent incidents Sunday throughout the United States.
In Honolulu, two police officers were fatally shot Sunday morning near the base of a volcanic crater. The shooter was apparently killed in a house fire.
In San Antonio, two people were killed and five were injured Sunday night in a club shooting. All of the victims were patrons.
Kieran Christopher Williams, 19, will be charged with capital murder in that shooting. While San Antonio police said Sunday night that the assailant fired “indiscriminately” inside the club, they clarified Monday that the shooting was “not a random incident” and that at least one of the victims knew Williams.