PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A man suspected of wounding three people at a strip club made racist comments when he was turned away from the club and returned 30 minutes later wearing a Halloween mask, the club’s owner said.
Police have not released the identity of the alleged shooter, who police say walked into the Mystic Gentleman’s Club and opened fire, The Oregonian reported (https://bit.ly/JUXCab ). He remained in critical but stable condition Monday after a club bouncer shot him as he fled the club Saturday night.
The man the original shooter fired on, 26-year-old security guard Brian Thomas Rizzo, remained in critical condition Monday in a medically induced coma. The other two victims, Gonzalo Zamora-Hernandez, 31, and Nichole Danielle Procter, 27, were treated at a hospital and released.
“The guy had just walked in and shot our bouncer in the head,” said club co-owner Connie R. Barnes.
The gunman, who had been refused entry to the club about 30 minutes before shots flew, was acting rudely and making racist comments to others waiting to get inside the club, Barnes said. He returned wearing a Halloween mask, Barnes said.
The bouncer who shot the suspect was cooperating with police and was not arrested. Neither the suspect nor the man who shot him has been identified.
Zamora-Hernandez said he had been at the club for about 30 minutes and was playing a video poker machine when he heard gunfire.
“As soon as I heard the shots, I kind of ran,” Zamora-Hernandez said. “I kept running to the back of the building.”
Another shooting at the same club in July 2012 left one man dead in the parking lot.
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Information from: The Oregonian, https://www.oregonlive.com
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