Police confirm two more Wichita club shooting victims, bringing total to 11 hurt
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two additional gunshot victims have emerged from a weekend shooting at a Kansas nightclub, bringing the total number of injured people to 11, Wichita police said Monday.
Meanwhile, a St. Louis-area man was arrested in connection with the shooting, and police are working to “identify all individuals involved in the shooting and hold them accountable,” according to a news release.
Several shooters opened fire just before 1 a.m. Sunday inside the City Nightz club in downtown Wichita, according to police. Seven people were initially listed as injured by gunfire, and two others were trampled in the rush to escape.
Two additional shooting victims arrived at hospitals later Sunday with minor injuries, Officer Juan Rebolledo said. All of the victims are expected to survive, he said.
One suspect, a 31-year-old man from Florissant, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated criminal battery. He had not been formally charged as of late Monday morning.
Shots were fired from at least four guns inside the club, police said. Four guns were recovered and police were working to determine if they were the weapons used by the shooters.
The gunshot victims — seven men and two women — ranged in age from 22 to 34, police said. The two people trampled were a 30-year-old woman and a 31-year-old male.
Detective Chris Merceau said at a news conference Sunday morning that police have been called about a dozen times this year to the nightclub, including for a report of aggravated battery and a drive-by shooting on May 21.
He said police met with the club’s owner after the May shooting and discussed the importance of using electronic wands to detect weapons on patrons and surveillance cameras. He said investigators will work to determine if any of those recommendations were followed.
The club has not returned messages left by The Associated Press.
Wichita is a city of nearly 400,000 people about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri.