Jan. 21 (UPI) — A gunman opened fire on a crowd waiting in line outside a Kansas City, Mo., night club late Sunday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others before being fatally shot by a security guard, police said Monday.
The shooting happened shortly before 11:30 p.m. local time following a “disturbance in the club,” Kansas City Police Chief Richard Smith said in a Monday news conference.
One woman was killed before the security guard exited the club and shot the suspect, who police have identified as 29-year-old Jahron Swift, of Kansas City.
“At this time, we do not have a motive for why the shooting took place,” Smith said. “We are not sure if this is random or if there’s someone in the crowd he was specifically upset at.”
Smith said the security guard was inside the club when the shooting began and went outside to inspect the commotion before shooting the gunman.
“Police officers did not fire any shots at the scene,” Smith said. “The security guard is the one who engaged the suspect.”
Police identified the lone slain victim as 25-year-old Raeven A. Parks.
Fifteen people were transported to local hospitals following the shooting, authorities said, adding it is unknown if all were injured by gunfire.
“As the investigation unfolded at least 15 other victims arrived at area hospitals,” Kansas City Police said in a statement on Twitter. “At this time three of those victims are listed in critical condition. An armed security guard at the business engaged the shooter outside of the establishment.”
Smith said the club was known to be an “issue” and police had left the parking lot minutes before the shooting began.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said the shooting marred a celebratory time in the city after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans in the NFL playoffs earlier in the day, reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in about 50 years.
“It just puts such a tragic end to such a wonderful day in Kansas City,” Peters Baker said. “I have scores, really, that are in the hospital right now having their wounds mended.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas shared his condolences on Twitter.
“Our greatest challenges remain even this morning in our community,” Lucas said Monday. “My thoughts are with the families and friends of those whose lives were lost or impacted by last night’s mass shooting. Thankful security appears to have kept the situation from being even worse.”
