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Karen Scullin reporting Law enforcement agencies are looking for a man who killed a rival gang member inside a Park City nightclub last night.
30 year old Kautoke Tangitau was shot during a concert about 10:30, but the chaos actually started before the shot was fired.
The shooting happened in Park City---but the manhunt is here in Salt Lake County. The Summit County Sheriff's Office and the Metro Gang Unit are combing the streets tonight looking for their murder suspect, but also trying to prevent any gang retaliation.
Since Salt Lake gangs are mobile--without any real "turf" the search for the gunman is valley-wide tonight.
Police say the gang fight that led to the Park City nightclub shooting involved members of the Tongan Crip Gangsters and the Tongan Baby Regulators --- both known to be very violent. But it was so loud inside the club last night--at first-- no one knew someone had been shot.
Chief Deputy Dave Booth/Summit County Sheriff's Office: "ONCE WE GOT DOWN AND STARTED WIPING THE BLOOD FROM HIS CHEST THAT'S WHEN WE SAW THE BULLET HOLE AND WE KNEW WE WERE DEALING WITH A SHOOTING"
Booth says it wasn't the shooting that started the chaos---it was already underway.
He was called in to help control a crowd that was already out of control.
Chief Deputy Dave Booth: "IT STARTS IN ONE PART OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, IT WILL GO TO ONE PART, ANOTHER PART...IT MIGHT GO OUT IN THE PARKING LOT, AND THIS IS WHAT WE HAD. ONE CONTINUOUS ROLLING FIGHT THAT ENDED UP IN A SHOOTING "
Booth says the situation actually got worse after the shooting. More fights, more confusion, but no cooperation.
Chief Deputy Dave Booth: "NOBODY WANTED TO HELP US OR ASSIST US OR MOVE. THEY WERE UPSET THAT SOMEONE HAD SHUT THE BAND DOWN, EVEN THOUGH SOMEONE HAD JUST DIED RIGHT THERE"
It's unusual to have a homicide in Park City-- but police blame at least part of the problem on the size of the crowd.
Katie Quinley/Witness; "I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT THE CLUB, IT'S NOT THE SAFETY MEASURES THAT THEY HAVE, IT'S PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS AND HAVE AGGRESSION THEY'RE GOING TO DO IT NO MATTER WHAT'S STOPPING THEM."
Bar owners tell police they did do a security check last night at the door---and police checked everyone on the way out. They did find one man with a weapon--but it wasn't the gun used in the shooting.
