USA TODAY International Edition

One suspect nabbed in rampage at Kansas bar

- John Bacon

One suspect in a shooting rampage that left four dead and five wounded at a Kansas bar was in custody Monday, and a massive manhunt was underway for a second accused killer.

Javier Alatorre, 23, was taken into custody late Sunday, hours after two men walked into the Tequila KC club in Kansas City and started shooting. Alatorre was arrested in neighborin­g Kansas City, Missouri, with assistance from the FBI and ATF, police said.

Authoritie­s searched for Hugo Villanueva- Morales, 29, warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

“If you see him or know of his whereabout­s, do not approach,” Kansas City, Kansas, police said.

Both men face charges including four counts of first- degree murder, and bond for each was set at $ 1 million.

Both suspects have had previous run- ins with law enforcemen­t. Villanueva- Morales had a pending thirddegre­e assault charge after a fight with a sheriff ’ s deputy in Kansas City, Missouri, in August. Alatorre faced several charges stemming from a police chase, and a protection order was issued against him in 2017.

Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman Thomas Tomasic said police received a call around 1: 30 a. m. Sunday and arrived at the club to find patrons fleeing. Officers found the bodies of four Latino men ranging in age from the 20s to 50s, he said.

The five wounded people were found outside, Tomasic said. All were taken to hospitals, and no injuries were considered life- threatenin­g.

Police are trying to figure what happened. “Obviously, being a bar at 1: 30, stories varied a lot,” Tomasic said. “We are trying to separate out stories, find out the truthful from the maybe exaggerate­d a little bit.”

About 40 people were inside when the shooting took place, Tomasic said. Investigat­ors reviewed surveillan­ce video. They do not believe the shootings were racially motivated, he said.

 ?? TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/ KANSAS CITY STAR VIA AP ?? Police work the scene of shooting at a bar in Kansas City, Kansas.
TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/ KANSAS CITY STAR VIA AP Police work the scene of shooting at a bar in Kansas City, Kansas.

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