Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner credited quick work by first responders for there being no fatalities after a nightclub shooting early on Saturday left 28 people injured from an 11-second melee that police said might be gang related, while the landlord that owns the nightclub has officially evicted it.
The volley of gunfire inside the Power Ultra Lounge came so fast that investigators believe multiple people had to have been involved.
On Saturday night, a representative for the landlord’s office posted an eviction notice on a door of the club that stated that it must move out of the property within three days “due to your failure to maintain the premises in a safe condition.”
Photo: AP / Mitchell Pe Masilun / The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
State regulators suspended the club’s liquor license on Saturday, while city officials said they would move today to shut down the club under a “criminal abatement” program.
Twenty-five people between the ages of 16 and 35 suffered gunshot wounds and three others were hurt, perhaps while fleeing, Buckner said, while two people were in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon.
Police said officers did not have any suspects in custody.
Courtney Swanigan, 23, said that when the gunfire rang out, “I just closed my eyes, got down on the ground and put my hands on my head.”
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said the city must “keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people” and suggested that people refuse to patronize clubs that seem to promote violence.
Material advertising the concert by Tennessee rapper Finese 2Tymes showed a man pointing a gun at a camera.
“A promotional video with a gun on the front cover inviting people to a concert ... should also be totally unacceptable in our community,” Stodola said.
The shooting capped a violent week in Arkansas’ largest city. Police had responded to a dozen drive-by shootings over the previous nine days.
“I’m sick of all the killing and I’m tired of all the shooting. The kids getting hurt,” said Raida Bunche, who was waiting outside the club after hearing from a friend that her son had been inside. She found out later that he had run from the club when the shooting started and was not hurt.
The shooting occurred about 2:30am about 1.61km east of the state capitol building. First-responders are stationed through the central part of the city and hospitals are a quick ride away.
“We had professional people responding to that incident and they did what they were trained to do, and I know they probably had something to do with the fact we didn’t have any fatalities,” Buckner said, also crediting divine intervention.
About 100 people gathered at Second Baptist Church on Saturday night for a candlelight vigil, seeking healing for those injured and for the community. Stodola sat in the front row.
Top state officials offered to help the city respond to an increasing number of incidents.
“Little Rock’s crime problem appears to be intensifying,” Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said in a statement. “Every few days it seems a high-profile shooting dominates the news, culminating with [Saturday] morning’s event. I have spoken this morning with Mayor Stodola and I have offered both my heartfelt concern over this senseless violent tragedy and state assets as needed to address the continued threat of violence in our community.’’
A Facebook video posted from inside the club included audio of at least 24 rounds fired in about 11 seconds.
Darryl Rankin, who posted the video, said a friend of his who attended the concert with him had a bullet “stuck in his spine.”
Buckner said police had not yet spoken with the rapper, who he said has outstanding warrants in the state.
Calls to a number listed for Finese 2Tymes’ booking agent were not returned on Saturday, but a message was posted on the artist’s Facebook page offering thoughts and prayers for those injured.
Before Stodola announced that the city would shutter the club, officials at the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control office suspended the club’s liquor license and set a hearing for Monday next week on three potential charges: disorderly conduct, allowing possession of weapons on the premises and “failure to be a good neighbor.”
The club’s license has been suspended 11 times for failing to pay taxes, and it has been cited seven times for 14 various violations, including unknowingly furnishing alcohol to minors and allowing alcohol to leave the premises since 2012, office Director of Enforcement Boyce Hamlet said.
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