HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 02-18 5 injured as up to 60 rounds fired outside Maplewood nightclub STAR TRIBUNE
5 injured as up to 60 rounds fired outside Maplewood nightclub -StarTribune.comPage 1 of 1
EAST METRO
5 injured as up to 60 rounds fired
outside Maplewood nightclub
An argument turned into a gunfight early Saturday.
By Miguel Otárola(http://www.startribune.com/miguel-otarola/396828811/) Star Tribune
FEBRUARY 18, 2017 — 6:05PM
An argument escalated into gunfire at a Maplewood nightclub early Saturday, wounding
five and sending clubgoers into chaos.
Thirty to 60 rounds were fired at the Stargate Bar & Nightclub, located in a strip mall on
Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue W., police said, stressing that the outcome of the
shooting could have been much worse.
“We believe we got lucky in this situation,” Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell said.
People were arguing inside the packed nightclub about 1:30 a.m. Saturday when gunfire
broke out, Schnell said. At least one shot was fired inside the club, wounding a man in
the leg.
Maplewood officers stationed across the street then saw clubgoers running from the
club and into the parking lot. The shooting continued from the club and into the street,
with bullets hitting vehicles and almost striking one police officer, Schnell said.
Several people fired shots from cars as they tried to flee, Schnell said. One vehicle
crashed in the street intersection and another diagonally across from the strip mall.
None of the people shot had life-threatening injuries, Schnell said.
Minnesota State Patrol, St. Paul and Roseville police units assisted during the incident.
Police recovered one gun, although Schnell said many more weapons were used.
“There were an incredible number of casings,” he said.
(http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/08-
No one has been arrested, Schnell said, although he added that police expect to be able
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LEILA NAVIDI, STAR TRIBUNE
to trace suspects through their vehicles. Investigators are piecing together reports from
The Stargate Bar & Nightclub is located in
the club, as well as from St. Paul and Roseville, where some of those involved may have
Maplewood.
fled.
Stargate Bar & Nightclub will be closed Saturday, on police orders, Schnell said. He said
the City Council will determine whether to permanently close the club or place
sanctions on it.
The club has been the site of violence in the past. A 20-year-old was shot and killed by
one of the club’s security guards in May 2015, and shots were fired outside the club last
summer.
“We’ve had a number of incidents that prompted concerns,” Schnell said. “This incident
will weigh heavily.”
miguel.otarola@startribune.com
http://www.startribune.com/5-injured-as-up-to-60-rounds-fired-outside-maplewood-nightclub/414160203/2/21/2017