3 Killed, 4 Injured After Fight Escalates Into Gunfire At US Strip Club

Three people were killed and four others injured after an argument escalated into gunfire at an after-hours strip club in Detroit, Michigan, early Sunday morning, police said.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting at around 7:21 am on a largely residential street and found three men who had suffered fatal gunshot wounds, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said at a news conference.

Four other victims, two men and two women were taken to nearby hospitals in private vehicles. None of them is believed to have life-threatening injuries. Police said all seven victims are believed to be between 20 and 39 years old.

According to Bettison, the shooting followed an argument inside the establishment. The confrontation escalated, with those involved using guns to settle the dispute.

“A fight occurred, an altercation occurred, and as a result individuals decided to settle it with gun violence,” Bettison said.

The location was already known to the Detroit Police Department. Bettison said officers had received seven calls connected to the address this year, although he did not disclose details of those previous incidents.

“This address is not new to the Detroit Police Department,” he said.

Bettison described the venue as an after-hours location and compared it to a strip club while discussing the circumstances surrounding the shooting. “This was an after-hours location,” he said. “Imagine a strip club. … I’ll leave it at that.”

Police said they have leads in the case, but Bettison declined to provide further details as the investigation continues. The circumstances that triggered the initial argument and the identity of the person who opened fire remained unclear from the information released by authorities.

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield urged anyone who witnessed the confrontation or has information about the shooting to contact police.

“We know that we need more people to speak up to bring justice to the situation,” Sheffield said at the news conference. “It’s heartbreaking and our community should not suffer from this type of violence.”

The Detroit shooting was among several incidents involving gunfire reported in the US over the weekend. Earlier Sunday, a shooting at a birthday party at a park in Macon, Georgia, left 12 teenagers with gunshot wounds, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said.

Two of those injured were in critical condition, while the others were stable. There were no immediate arrests, but investigators had identified several persons of interest, Davis said.