Police: 30-60 Rounds Fired Outside Maplewood Club; 5 injured
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (WCCO) -- The mayor of Maplewood is expected to call an emergency City Council meeting next week to deal with the growing violence outside a nightclub. Five people were hurt after a confrontation inside Stargate Bar and Nightclub spilled outside. Police estimate up to 60 shots were fired in the parking lot.
People showed up on Saturday to show say enough is enough.
"We have to stop the violence and if this don't wake them up, 30 to 60 shots, I don't know what will," community activist K.G. Wilson said.
Police Chief Paul Schnell used his authority to close the club Saturday night citing massive public safety concerns. The investigation continues into what triggered the chain of events.
"As people were running a number of shots were fired, a number of vehicles in the parking lot we can see have been shot up. There was then cars leaving or fleeing. It's believed that there were shots being fired from some of these cars. On the St. Paul side there was a gun recovered from a vehicle that had been involved in the crash," Schnell said.
Schnell met with the owner of the club Saturday morning. Over the phone owner Paul Xiong told WCCO he's concerned about customer safety.
"My heart goes out to them," Maysea Xiong said.
Maysea Xiong was at Stargate on Saturday and said they need to work with police to prevent and deter crime.
"I think that Stargate is going to work very close with the chief of police and officials, officers to deal with this. It's got to be like a team thing," Maysea Xiong said.
People who live nearby hope that starts immediately.
"It's sad that that situation has evolved here but hopefully they can rectify it some way that keeps it safe for the general public," Jerald Valento said.
All five people hurt are out of the hospital.
This is the third shooting outside the club in the last two years. Schnell said calls for service increased this past month.
When the City Council meets, they could add conditions to Stargate's license, suspend it or pull it all together.