25 shot, 3 trampled during shooting in Arkansas night club
Twenty-five people have been injured at a night club in the US state of Arkansas during a potential gang fight shooting.
Two of the injured were said to be in critical condition following the attack in Little Rock on Saturday.
Authorities immediately ruled out Fthe possibility of a terrorist attack.
"I want to reassure our public that this was not an act of terrorism but a tragedy... It does not appear to be a planned shooting," Mayor Mark Stodola said at a press conference, adding that all of the victims were expected to survive.
The existence of "rivalries and weapons" led to a fight between patrons from two different cities and triggered the shooting, Stodola said.
"We have no reason to believe at this time that anyone in the general public is at harm of any incident," he stated.
‘Senseless tragedy’
According to police chief Kenton Buckner, members with the headliner group initially wanted to enter the club but were stopped by police. Later they apparently managed to gain access to the club via a different entry way.
"I think when you have a concert venue where you have young people and force these two cities into a small room and some kind of dispute ensues, it was a recipe for disaster," Stodola said. "My heart is broken this morning -- my prayers are with the victims of this tragedy.”
US police officers fatally shot nearly 1,000 people last year, amounting to three deaths each day, according to an investigation by the Washington Post. A disproportionate number of those killed in 2016 were black, and about a quarter involved a victim who had a mental illness.
"We must do more to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people. And government can do something to help us with that," the mayor noted.
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It is estimated that there are between 270 million and 300 million guns in the US, about one per person.
According to a statement by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, "Little Rock's crime problem appears to be intensifying," decrying "this senseless violent tragedy."
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