Police identify suspect in Kansas City nightclub shooting that left 1 dead, 15 hurt

KANSAS CITY - Kansas City police responded to a drive-by shooting outside a Kansas City nightclub just about a week before a gunman shot into a line of people there Sunday, killing a woman and wounding at least 15 others before he was slain.

During a news conference Monday, Police Chief Rick Smith said the nightclub was discussed at a police meeting last week because officers responded to 9ine Ultra Lounge's parking lot for a recent shooting.

Officers were also called to check on the bar on Noland Road on Sunday less than a minute before the suspected shooter, Jahron Swift, 29, fatally shot 25-year-old Raeven Parks at 11:27 p.m., Smith said.

“We had just been there,” he said.

The victim and suspect were both from Kansas City, police said.

There was a disturbance inside the nightclub before the shooting, but a motive for the attack remained unclear, Smith said.

Hundreds of people were there as the gunfire erupted outside. Nearby officers responded quickly and found a chaotic and intense scene of people running away and fleeing in vehicles, according to police.

Kansas City police called in help from across the metropolitan area. Smith said that about 50 officers responded. While detectives investigated, officers from other agencies helped field Kansas City police's regular calls for service.

Police then began receiving reports of more and more victims arriving at area hospitals. It remained unclear Monday if the 15 people all were struck by gunfire. Three of the victims were critically injured.

The suspected shooter was killed by a security guard working on the property, said Capt. David Jackson, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman. The guard was not an off-duty officer, Smith said.

“It appears that he saved lives,” he said.

At the scene of the shooting, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said it was too soon for her to comment on what unfolded. She said she is grateful anytime someone steps up to help others, but that statistics show more guns do not make communities safer.

“Way too many people are armed,” she said.

Police recovered multiple guns at the scene, all of which were believed to be the suspect's. Police think Swift and the guard were the only people to fire shots.

Detectives were still investigating. Police had not yet spoken with each victim Monday, Smith said.

Mayor Quinton Lucas said city officials would soon review whether the nightclub could be considered a nuisance, which might lead to its license being temporarily revoked.

Lucas called the shooting disappointing. It came hours after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans, earning them a spot at Super Bowl LIV. It was supposed to be a night of celebrating, Lucas said.

“We got a problem in Kansas City,” Lucas said. “We're losing too many lives. We have too many people shot every year.”

A post on the club's Facebook page advertised Sunday night's “Sold Out Sundays” event, which appeared to be a celebration of the Chiefs.

The Kansas City region can't get used to shootings that kill or wound multiple people, Lucas said. He mentioned the October shooting that left four people dead and five others wounded at the Tequila KC Bar in Kansas City, Kan.

“There is too much of this in Kansas City,” he said.

Detectives asked anyone who was at the nightclub during the shooting to contact the homicide unit at (816) 234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477. Police also asked to see any cellphone video taken at the time.