The countdown: Top stories of 2012, No. 5-1
Published 10:12 am Tuesday, January 1, 2013
1. Party ends in gunshots, chaos at Lansing Corners, still no arrests
Law enforcement investigates the southbound shoulder of Highway 218 just south of Lansing Corners in November, the site of a possible shooting the night before.
The wheels of investigation have been spinning for nearly two months in a case where five people were shot in the parking lot of the Lansing Corners Event Center north of Austin.
As recent as last week, Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi couldn’t offer updates on two suspects her agency has been watching for several weeks. One is reportedly from Minnesota, and the other lives out of state. Chief Deputy Mark May said investigators were trying to use items at the scene to find DNA evidence. Amazi added evidence from the scene, such as shell casings, has been in the hands of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for about a month.
“We are still waiting for results from the BCA,” she said last week.
The shooting happened at about midnight Saturday, Nov. 10, when a hip hop event hosted by Kings of Africa ended, and people moved to the parking lot. Multiple gunshots rang out, and investigators later confirmed that two guns were involved. Two of the five victims were left critically injured; however, all victims have since been released from the hospital.
Hundreds of people were reportedly at the event, advertised as “KOA Presents: E-Man’s 18th B-Day Bash” — an 18-and-older, alcohol-free party. Still, many minors indicated via Facebook they would attend the party, and deputies reported seeing liquor strewn about the parking lot. A neighbor recalled the chaos, as cars peeled out of the parking lot.
Throughout the investigation, witnesses have been hush, as have all five victims.
Amazi said the shooting is gang related, and victims and attendees may have remained silent throughout the investigation for fear of retaliation. Amazi added her agency has not obtained any further evidence.
—By Kevin Coss
