KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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About two dozen family members and friends of the victims of the Sunday shooting that left two dead and two others injured at a Kansas City, Missouri, nightclub gathered outside the club Monday afternoon.
Eboni Silas, 29, and Tishauna Ballard, 24, were killed, and another woman and a man were injured in the shooting at Status Nightclub, 2801 Southwest Boulevard.
Investigators say the shooting happened inside the nightclub just after 2 a.m. Sunday morning.
Family members and friends of the victims did not want to talk on camera, but told KSHB 41 News photographer Jake Weller they want justice.
KCPD told KSHB 41 News two people were taken into custody Monday afternoon for further questioning.
Police say an interaction between one or more suspects "escalated and led to shots being fired, which struck the victims."
“I have asked the city’s Multidisciplinary Public Safety Task Force to follow up and meet with the business owner, and try and understand what happened and try and prevent it from happening again," said Kansas City Council Member Crispin Rea.
Rea represents the city's 4th District, where the nightclub is located.
He said the task force works to prevent such incidents from happening within businesses in the city. It's made up of multiple city departments and works in partnership with KCPD, Rea said.
If such tragedies do happen, the task force works to ensure businesses are held accountable when it's appropriate.
Anna Roseburrough lives less than a half-mile from Status KC. She's the president of the Sacred Heart Neighborhood Association, which she says encompasses the area between Broadway Boulevard and Southwest Boulevard from 25th Street to 30th Street.
She said she didn't hear the gunshots Sunday morning, but she woke up as cars raced through the neighborhood.
“I guess people tried to scatter or get out of there for their safety," she said.
Since the space had been empty for a while, she said she did not know it was now operating as a nightclub. The nightclub's Facebook page describes it as the newest spot for nightlife.
Roseburrough said the neighborhood association often works with businesses in the neighborhood.
“We don’t mind business on the Boulevard, but as long as we work together for everybody’s safety, that’s what our concern is," she said.
She said many of her neighbors reached out to her on Sunday to learn what happened, so she was happy to learn Rea had already taken action.
Signs posted outside the club say firearms and weapons are not allowed inside the establishment.
KCPD said off-duty Jackson County sheriff's deputies were working in the area of the nightclub when they heard gunfire inside the club.
Paramedics declared one woman dead at the scene of the shooting. Two other women were transported to a hospital. One died from her injuries, and the other was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to KCPD.
A man arrived at a hospital in a private vehicle. At the time, he was in critical condition, but police say as of Monday, he is stable.
KCPD is asking anyone with information to reach out to detectives. You can do so anonymously by calling 816-474-8477.
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