One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning at the New World VIP Lounge in Lakewood.
The shooting occurred at approximately 1:25 a.m. at the club, located in the 8700 block of South Tacoma Way.
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Multiple police units responded to the scene and gave aid to three victims with gunshot wounds, who were later transported to the hospital. One of the victims passed away from his injuries. A fourth victim was later dropped off at the hospital by friends. All three living victims are expected to recover.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man killed as 28-year-old Terrence King.
A witness told KIRO 7 that King went to the lounge to pick up the mother of his children, who is a bartender there, and was shot shortly after walking inside. That witness said a woman was among the three others shot and described people helping victims by applying pressure to wounds.
"I still can't even believe it happened,” said one woman who was inside the lounge during the shooting but didn’t want to be identified. She described running for her life after hearing the gunshots, which she said came after a fight.
"It could've been me, it could've been people who were close to me,” she said.
KIRO 7 went by King’s Renton address but people outside the home told our crew they were in no shape to do an interview.
It is unclear to police at this time what happened that led to the shooting, and suspects are unknown at this time. Police believe there were three shooters and that shots may have come from both inside and outside the building, approximately 20 shots in total. It’s also unclear who the intended target was.
Some shoppers who showed up to the plaza Sunday where the lounge is located were shocked to see crime scene tape blocking a portion of the parking lot.
"I haven't been in this area in a while and had I known I wouldn't have come down here,” said a mother who asked not be identified.
Investigators spent more than 19 hours processing the scene.
Surveillance video captured three shooters running from the scene, and witnesses described the shooters as three men in their 20s or 30s.
Police want anyone who witnessed the shooting or can identify the shooters to give them a call.
Cox Media Group
