One dead and five injured after shooting early Sunday in Westport, police say

One person died and five people were injured following a shooting early Sunday in Westport.

Officers working in the area of the Westport Entertainment District heard multiple gunshots around 1:20 a.m. east of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard, according to Capt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.

Police moved towards the sound and found multiple shooting victims, including an unresponsive man.

Before the shooting, Becchina said there had been a large crowd in the area that dispersed when shots broke out. Detectives believe a disturbance escalated into gunfire from one or more people when the victims were struck.

Emergency medical services arrived at the scene, and six people were taken to a hospital either by ambulance or private vehicle, Becchina said.

The man found unresponsive was declared dead at the hospital. Police identified him as 24-year-old Jahquan M. Robinson.

The other victims were treated for injuries that were not life threatening, Becchina said.

A security officer for Westport Public Safety was detained as a subject of interest and later released pending further investigation, Becchina said. The employee responded after hearing shots fired.

“Detectives will continue to investigate and compile all of the investigative findings detailing all persons involvement and provide those findings to prosecutors for their review,” Becchina said.

The killing was the 58th homicide in Kansas City this year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. There had been 69 homicides at this time last year.

Police ask anyone with information about the incident to contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.