Three people have died and two are injured following a shooting at a nightclub in Kansas City.

Police officers responded to reports of a shooting at Klymax Lounge and found five victims early on Sunday (Monday AEST), said officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department in the US state of Missouri.

Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and another three were transported to the hospital by emergency medical crews. Officials said one of the deceased victims was found outside the lounge and the other was located inside.

A short time later, one of the people transported to the hospital was pronounced dead.

Another person is in critical condition and the other is stable, Drake said.

Detectives and investigators are processing the scene for evidence and searching for potential witnesses.

A woman who lives near the nightclub, who asked not to be named, said she woke up overnight to a series of about 10 gunshots.

There was a pause, she said, and then she heard another five shots.

Outside, she saw a young woman's body right outside the club doors and people stepping over her to exit.

Two more bodies lay at a nearby street lamp. She watched emergency medical crews bring another body down on a stretcher from a nearby hill.

"It's really sad," she said. "It's something that's continuously going on."