Lawrence police investigate downtown bar fight that ended in gunfire

A late-night fight outside Replay Lounge near 10th and Massachusetts streets escalated into gunfire just before 2 a.m. Sunday, shaking one of downtown Lawrence’s busiest nightlife blocks and leaving police looking for the people involved.

Lawrence police said the confrontation broke out outside the bar, and one man pulled out a gun and fired at least two shots. Officers recovered shell casings at the scene, and no one was struck by bullets. A Replay Lounge employee who tried to break up the fight was hit in the face and treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Police said the suspects fled before officers arrived. Investigators also posted a photo of a black Nissan they believe may be connected to the shooting and said the car was reportedly registered to a Topeka owner. Authorities asked the public for help identifying the occupants as the case remained open.

The shooting landed on Massachusetts Street, the downtown corridor that helps anchor Lawrence’s late-night economy and its identity as a gathering place for students, workers and visitors. The city’s population was 94,934 in the 2020 Census and has grown to an estimated 97,271 in the Census Bureau’s 2024 estimate, adding to the pressure on downtown streets that draw heavier crowds on weekends and around bar close.

That pressure has sharpened concern after earlier downtown shootings and a recent stretch of homicides left many residents uneasy about violence in places they normally consider safe. In a similar downtown shooting report from March 2024, police described dozens of people scattering and said intoxication made it difficult for witnesses to give useful information, a reminder of how quickly a crowded nightlife scene can turn chaotic.

The latest case now raises the practical question many downtown workers, patrons and nearby businesses are asking after 2 a.m.: whether the gunfire was an isolated fight or another sign of a recurring problem around the bar district. Police have not said what led to the confrontation, and the investigation continues as officers try to identify the people in the black Nissan and piece together how a fight outside a well-known bar became a shooting in the heart of downtown Lawrence.