Four injured in shooting at Kansas City funeral home

The victims were found across a funeral home, parking lot, and laundromat

Four people were injured in a shooting at Elite Funeral Chapel in Kansas City on Friday, 20 January, 2023 (KMBC)

Police are investigating a Friday morning shooting at a Kansas City, Missouri, funeral home that left four people injured.

The victims were found inside the Elite Funeral Chapel, as well as in its parking lot and a neighbouring laundromat.

Three individuals were taken to the hospital for treatment, KMBC reports, with one victim in critical condition and the other two in stable condition. The fourth individual only had minor injuries.

Police were called to the scene around 11.40am, Fox 4 reports. Officials told the outlet they believe the violence broke out because of a dispute at a funeral.

A preliminary investigation suggests no funeral chapel employees were among those harmed in the shooting.

The victims included three men and one woman, Major Leslie Foreman, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department, told the Kansas City Star.

No suspects are in custody.

At the scene of the shooting, streets including Blue Ridge and Holiday Drive were blocked off, and a police helicopter circled over head.

Violence at funeral homes in the Kansas City area has caused funeral directors to carry guns and hire off-duty police officers for security.

Malcom Morris, owner of the Elite Funeral Chapel, told the Star in 2021 he avoids hosting funerals for homicide victims out of security concerns.

Those with information are encouraged to call the Kansas City Police Department at 816-234-5227 or an anonymous tip line at 816-474-8477.