Police believe more than one suspect at large in Taboo Nightclub mass shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Cedar Rapids law enforcement officials provided an update on the investigation into a shooting at a downtown nightclub that killed two people and injured 10 others, at least one critically.

Police responded to a shooting at the Taboo Nightclub Lounge at 415 3rd Street SE around 1:27 am Sunday morning. Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said that officers were standing outside of the club when a rush of people exited, fleeing the shooting. 911 dispatchers started receiving calls about the incident at around the same time. Officers went inside the club to find the 12 total victims and started administering first aid to the injured.

Jerman said that evidence so far leads investigators to believe that there was more than one shooter involved. He later said that they believe “both shooters” were male. No clear motive has been determined at this stage of the investigation, though Jerman said that police do not believe it was a “gang-related incident.” Police also said that there was no wider threat to the public at large despite the lack of arrests, calling it a “targeted incident.”

The individuals who were killed were an adult male and an adult female, according to officials. More information about their identities is being withheld pending notification of family members.

Jerman said that police believe that all of the injuries were related to the shooting, whether from direct gunshot wounds or shrapnel. He said there were no indications at this time that injuries were caused by the stampede of people exiting the club.

Police believe that the shooters may have been able to escape the scene during the initial rush of people fleeing. No other incidents took related to the initial shooting took place outside of the club.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell encouraged citizens to report suspicious or illegal activity, saying that the incident did not represent the city as a whole.

“At the end of the day, I believe, the real change will only happen when we as a city, we as citizens refuse to play along,” O’Donnell said.

Taboo was hosting a “return of the Mac” 90s themed bash Saturday night, according to social media promotions. Police estimate that around 100 to 150 people were inside the club at the time of the shooting. Modteets Williams, Jr., the club’s owner, told KCRG-TV9 the club is “doing everything we can to cooperate with police.”

Jerman said that he could not recall a recent uptick in calls for service to the nightclub’s location. According to police call logs over the past year, there have been at least two incidents involving guns and one assault reported at the nightclub. Most of the times that police visited the location, however, were for routine bar checks.

Anybody with information is asked to call Cedar Rapids Police. Information can also be provided to CrimeStoppers by calling 1-800-CS-CRIME.

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