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One dead, several injured in Springfield strip club rampage

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 30, 2009 06:37 PM

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD — A 24-year-old man is under arrest after police say he came out of a bathroom at a local strip club early today and started firing a gun, killing one man and injuring several other people.

Marcus J. Blanton

A State Police community action team was on patrol near Club 418 on Worthington Street when troopers saw people streaming out of the building in panic.

Nearby, they encountered Marcus J. Blanton of Springfield, who allegedly tossed away a handgun as troopers approached him and placed him under arrest, said Springfield Police Lieutenant John Bobianski.

Blanton is accused of shooting five people and stabbing a sixth during his 1:30 a.m. rampage at the club, Bobianski said. ‘‘He came out of the bathroom and just started shooting,’’ he said.

Police said victims were taken to Baystate Medical Center, where a 23-year-old Springfield man was pronounced dead. The victims’ names have not been released.

Blanton was charged with murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and other crimes, Bobianski said.

Police don’t know what prompted the shooting, but adult entertainment venues have seen their share of problems in this city. Earlier this year a fight at Mardi Gras, not far from Club 418, resulted in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man, Bobianski said.

Club 418, a tiny venue open from noon to 2 a.m., has also apparently been the scene of previous problems. CBS 3 Springfield reported that the club was put on probation and risked having its liquor license suspended after management failed to notify police of a fight between two exotic dancers, during which one hit another in the head with a stiletto heel.

A bouncer at the club referred media inquiries to a manager, Tony Long, who said in a telephone interview that he was at the club at the time of the attack, but would not comment.