A rap concert in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas was engulfed by violence early Saturday morning when dozens of gunshots were fired, leaving 28 people injured. Police, who quickly assured the shooting was not related to terrorism, say the gunfire seems to have broken out as part of a dispute between clubgoers who were attending the concert by Tennessee rapper Finese 2Tymes at the Power Ultra Lounge.
Twenty-five people suffered gunshot wounds and three others had unrelated injuries. Two people remained in critical condition Saturday afternoon but officials said everyone was expected to survive. “By the grace of god, all of the victims are expected to survive,” Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said after characterizing the shooting as a “disagreement amongst a small subset of individuals.”
Local law enforcement say the club shooting could be related to a recent surge in violence in the city that has seen several drive-by shootings in recent days. “We certainly feel like there’s a possibility there may be a connection,” Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner said.
At least one of the club attendants was filming when shots were fired and posted it on social media. Although it’s difficult to see anything in the video, at least 24 gunshots can be heard over a few seconds.
A message in Finese 2Tymes’ Facebook page offered condolences to the injured. “The violence is not for the club people,” the rapper wrote on his Facebook page in all-caps. “We all come with 1 motive at the end of the day, and that’s to have fun.”
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued a statement of support for the victims and said it was an example of how the violence in the state’s largest city appears to be worsening. “Little Rock’s crime problem appears to be intensifying,” Hutchinson said. “Every few days it seems a high-profile shooting dominates the news, culminating with this morning’s event. I have spoken this morning with Mayor Stodola and I have offered both my heart felt concern over this senseless violent tragedy and state assets as needed to address the continued threat of violence in our community.”
