Kansas: A man in his 70’s opened fire Sunday outside of a Jewish community centre and nearby retirement community, killing three people, authorities said.
Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said at a news conference on Sunday evening that a person who had been reported to be in critical condition earlier was among three killed in the attacks, which apparently occurred minutes apart.
“Today is a sad and very tragic day,” Mr. Douglass said. “As you might imagine we are only three hours into this investigation. There’s a lot of innuendo and a lot of assertions going around. There is really very little hardcore information.”
President Barack Obama said reports of the shootings were “heartbreaking.”
Shots were fired behind the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Kansas City in a parking lot about 1 p.m., Mr. Douglass said. One male died at the scene, another male died at a hospital. The gunman then fled and opened fire at nearby Village Shalom, killing a female, before later being arrested near an elementary school. Two other people were shot at, but the gunfire missed them, he added.
Douglass said the suspect made several statements to police, “but it’s too early to tell you what he may or may not have said.” He also said it was too early in the investigation to determine whether there was an anti-Semitic motive for the attacks or if they will be investigated as hate crimes. The Jewish festival of Passover begins Monday.
“We know it was a vicious act of violence, and we know obviously it was at two Jewish facilities. One might make that assumption,” Mr. Douglass said.
Late Sunday, Will Corporon issued a statement saying his father, Dr. William Lewis Corporan, and nephew, Reat Griffin Underwood, were killed. The family is Christian.
Mr. Douglass described the suspect as a white man in his 70s who is not from Kansas. He said the suspect is being held at the Johnson County Detention Centre, but did not provide further information.
“We have no indication he knew the victims,” Mr. Douglass said, adding that the suspect was not known to Kansas City-area authorities before the shootings. Douglass said a shotgun was used, and investigators were trying to determine whether a handgun and assault-style rifle also were involved.
The Jewish Community Centre of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park posted on its Facebook page on Sunday afternoon that a “shooting incident” happened near its White Theater entrance.
“Everyone participating in JCC programming has been released to their homes,” the centre posted later Sunday.
Kristy Straeb (47) said her sister-in-law Stacie Ventimiglia was at the center’s pool with a friend and four little girls under the age of 7 for a swimming lesson.
“They had just gotten the four babies naked, and somebody yelled into the family locker room, ‘We have an active shooter situation. You need to get safe,’” Ms. Straeb said.
The women got into a cubby area and were “ready to push the little girls into four empty lockers,” Ms. Straeb said. She noted that the women and their children were not harmed.
Obama offers condolences after Kansas shootings
U.S. President Barack Obama has offered condolences to the families of those killed in Sunday’s shootings outside a Jewish community center and a retirement village in Kansas.
Mr. Obama said he has asked his White House team to make sure law enforcement authorities have “the necessary resources to support the ongoing investigation.” He is pledging the full support of the federal government during what he called “this trying time.”
