KANSAS CARNAGE
One dead and ‘10-15’ injured in Super Bowl parade shooting
AT LEAST one person was killed and a further 10-15 injured in a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade last night.
Two gunmen were detained according to Kansas City police, as chaos took hold after a crowd of around a million gathered to celebrate the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl victory in the last five years.
Police chief Stacey Graves said that ‘10-15’ people were injured. A man in a red hooded jumper was pictured being arrested, but it was not known last night if he was one of those involved in the shooting.
Fans were seen scrambling from the scene, with several people being wheeled away on stretchers.
There were frantic scenes outside the station, where a man appeared to try to sprint from the crowd, before several people tackled him and pinned him to the ground.
Witnesses described terrifying scenes, with student Gabe Wallace telling the Kansas City Star newspaper of his fear when he was separated from his friends as the carnage unfolded. He said his only thoughts were ‘my friends are dead’, and said that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had comforted him.
The Chiefs players including stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were rushed from the scene as the shots were fired, seconds after they had left the temporary stage which had been set up in front of Union Station.
Officers evacuated the streets surrounding the scene, and 15 minutes after the shooting they announced that they were releasing all of those trapped in Union Square.
The live broadcast on local TV channel KSHB 41 showed crowds outside Union Station, where the parade finished, rapidly dispersing with some jumping over barriers to make a hasty getaway.
Presenters on the live broadcast said members of the crowd were telling them to get down on the floor and that people were rushing indoors.
Crew members had said they heard a number of loud noises before the fans began fleeing the scene near the station, which is also a World War One museum and memorial.
Chiefs quarterback Mahomes posted on X: ‘Praying for
Kansas City’. His team-mate Drue Tranquill added: ‘Please join me in prayer for all the victims in this heinous act.
‘Pray that doctors and first responders would have steady hands and that all would experience full healing.’
The Chiefs were celebrating after they had beaten the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night in Las Vegas to claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
They were watched by Kelce’s girlfriend and global music superstar Taylor Swift — who did not attend the parade yesterday as she had flown to Australia to continue her world tour.