A man started shooting inside a strip club, killing two people and wounding two others, including a topless dancer, before patrons wrestled the gunman to the floor, police said.
A 28-year-old man walked into the Great Alaskan Bush Company shortly before midnight Sunday, opened fire, and hit four people before running out of ammunition, said Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a police spokesman.
Troy Cooley, 34, a security guard at the west Phoenix club, was shot and killed, police said. A club patron, Antonio Garcia, 20, also died after being shot. A 22-year-old man and the 20-year-old dancer were wounded.
Amanda Holland, a dancer at the club, told KTVK-TV on Monday that she aided the dancer who was shot in the arm before the gunman fired at a doorman who was trying to protect her.
"One of our doormen got shot because he was starting to defend one of the girls that work there," Holland said.
She said the gunman told the dancer "you're next" when the doorman stood in front of the dancer and was shot and killed.
Police told KTVK that witnesses reported the gunman had been inside the bar, went outside to the parking lot, then came back inside and opened fire sometime after that. It wasn't clear what prompted him to start shooting.
Holland told KPHO-TV she saw the group of customers tackle the gunman.
"There's like three Marine guys, and like four other guys that chased the guy down I guess and just started jumping him. He (the gunman) kinda got what he deserved," Holland said.
This was the second fatal shooting at a Phoenix strip club over the Christmas weekend.
Just before 1 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to a shots-fired call at Chi Chis Cabaret in central Phoenix and found a club security guard with multiple gunshot wounds.
KTVK said a man police identified as Tekina Latu, 22, became upset after a fight between two groups and grabbed a handgun, firing several rounds at the security guard.
The guard was able to return fire. He was wearing a ballistic vest and was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Latu's relatives took him to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.
