7 shot, 2 trampled after Kansas night club shooting

Early Sunday Morning, five men between the ages of 21 and 34 and two women 21 and 24 years old were shot inside the City Nightz club in Wichita, Kansas. A man and a woman were also trampled in the incident. 

Wichita Police Lt. Aaron Moses said in a statement that all victims are being treated at the hospital, with one in critical condition. A suspect was put into custody, while police recovered four guns at the scene and are checking to see if they belonged to the suspect. 

He noted that police were in the area, “because of previous issues with the parking lot in that area and closing down of that establishment.” Moses continued, "While they were outside, they heard a disturbance, screams from inside the business, and then a large number of people exited the business.”

According to KWCH, police have had to increase their presence in the area around the nightclub due to nearly a dozen incidents around it in the last year. Witchita Police Lt. Chirs Marceau stated at a press conference, "On May 21st of this year, there was a drive-by incident at City Nightz."

“As a result of that incident, the special investigations bureau of the WPD took proactive steps by having a meeting with the owner of City Nightz on May 25th to discuss security concerns," he continued. "We discussed the importance of wanding people, using metal detectors. Having working video cameras, monitoring the parking lot, and other best practices. Whether or not these practices or recommendations were followed tonight will be determined by this investigation.”

"I know people are just fed up and tired of this." Witchita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said at the press conference. "People want to be able to enjoy their holiday in peace and feel safe to bring their children, their families to events. It’s just discouraging that selfish individuals are making people feel uncomfortable to do just that.”

On Facebook, Witchita Mayor Brandon Whipple posted, "The safety of our residents is my number one priority. My thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by last night's horrible tragedy. We will not tolerate gun violence in our city and we must stand united against the alarming rise in gun violence." 

"We must advocate for safer communities and continue proactive measures to prevent such tragedies while fostering a culture of peace, empathy, and understanding," he added. 

Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to call WPD detectives at (316) 268-4407 or the See Something Say Something hotline at (316) 519-2282. Crime Stoppers can be called with anonymous tips at (316) 267-2111.