Police: 3 killed, 2 hurt in Kansas City shootings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City police are investigating if a man arrested Wednesday in the assault of hotel guests in the north of the city was involved in the earlier fatal shooting of three people and critical wounding of two others on the south side of town.

The shootings Tuesday afternoon took place in two homes in a middle class neighborhood, police said in a news release.

A couple of hours later, police learned that three guests at a Motel 6 in a commercial area across the city had been physically assaulted. The police statement said no weapon was used in those assaults but provided no other details. In investigating those assaults, police found a 2002 Toyota Highlander that had been stolen from one of the homes where the shootings took place.

Shortly before midnight, officers arrested a man with a gun whom they positively identified as a suspect in the motel assaults, the police statement said.

"The investigation continues to determine if there is any relationship between the motel assaults and the earlier homicides," police said.

Kansas City police spokeswoman Sgt. Kari Thompson said three shooting victims died at the scene and that two were taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police Captain Tye Grant said Tuesday night that the three dead included one man and two women, WDAF-TV reported.