Fight, gunshots turn Kannapolis Moose Lodge party to chaotic scene

Published 9:42 am Monday, November 1, 2021

KANNAPOLIS — A fight late Saturday and early Sunday resulted in at least 16 shots fired at the Kannapolis Moose Lodge and produced a chaotic scene as people attempted to flee.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene, near the intersection of Old Beatty Ford and Bostian roads, around 12:12 a.m. Sunday. Maj. John Sifford of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said cars rushed to leave. There was at least one crash between vehicles trying to exit the parking lot. The Sheriff’s Office hasn’t located any gunshot victims.

The event, a birthday party, attracted hundreds of people. Sifford said a fight started as the band for the birthday party was putting up its instruments.

Video footage from the Moose Lodge showed two men struggling over a gun as well as shots being fired. But blood at the entrance to the building was from a fist fight rather than gunshot wounds, Sifford said. A woman collapsed in the parking lot, but that was because she was too intoxicated, not a shooting victim, he said.

Responding deputies were told the shooter left the scene with a woman who was shot, but those details weren’t confirmed. Nearby hospitals didn’t report any shooting victims, Sifford said.

Deputies found 16 spent shell casings at the scene. Some were from 9 mm bullets. Others were 45-caliber rounds.

It’s not clear that security was hired for the event, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident remains under investigation. No charges have been filed.