2 dead, several injured in Texas dance studio shooting
Police on Saturday were investigating a shooting at a non-profit dance studio in Fort Worth that left two people dead and several injured, media outlets reported.
One victim was found outside Studio 74, and several others were taken to hospitals, Fort Worth police spokesman Daniel Segura said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. One of the victims died from his injuries, the statement said.
The studio's owner told AP the incident occurred during an unsanctioned party at the facility.
“I would consider it trespassing just for the fact that as the owner and operator of this facility I did not know, nor was there an exchange of any formal contract for people to be inside there,” Laura Reyna, owner and artistic director of the studio, told AP. She said she didn’t know the group of about 60 people was there until a studio instructor called her at 12:45 a.m. to report a commotion at the facility.
The disturbance began in the studio and spilled outside where six people were shot, WFAA in Dallas reported.
A studio employee, Jason Moore, told AP he was working at the time of the incident and said he used a towel to compress the chest of one of the victims, who later died outside the front door. “He got hit in the lungs, so there was no coming back for him,” Moore told AP. He said several members of the group were carrying guns.
Studio 74's mission is to provide dance education programming and outreach for schoolkids K-12 in Fort Worth through in-school and after-school programs, as well as professional development, according to the studio's website. Underserved areas are targeted with workshops and master classes in shopping centers, museums and parks.
The studio is located on a state highway near several businesses.