Shooting at Kansas City nightclub kills 1, injures 15

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City police responded to a drive-by shooting outside a Kansas City nightclub just about a week before a gunman shot into a line of people there Sunday, killing a woman and wounding at least 15 others before he was slain.

During a news conference Monday, Police Chief Rick Smith said the nightclub was discussed at a police meeting last week because officers responded to 9ine Ultra Lounge’s parking lot for a recent shooting.

Officers were also called to check on the bar on Noland Road on Sunday less than a minute before the suspected shooter, Jahron Swift, 29, fatally shot 25-year-old Raeven Parks at 11:27 p.m., Smith said.

“We had just been there,” he said.

The victim and suspect were both from Kansas City, police said.

There was a disturbance inside the nightclub before the shooting, but a motive for the attack remained unclear, Smith said.

Hundreds of people were there as the gunfire erupted outside. Nearby officers responded quickly and found a chaotic and intense scene of people running away and fleeing in vehicles, according to police.

Kansas City police called in help from across the metropolitan area. Smith said that about 50 officers responded. While detectives investigated, officers from other agencies helped field Kansas City police’s regular calls for service.

Police then began receiving reports of more and more victims arriving at area hospitals. It remained unclear Monday if the 15 people all were struck by gunfire. Three of the victims were critically injured.