Fatal gun attack at Kansas Super Bowl rally
Three arrested after shots fired at Kansas City Chiefs’ victory parade where one died and 22 were injured
AT LEAST one person died and up to 22 more were injured in a shooting at a victory parade yesterday to celebrate last Sunday’s Super Bowl victory of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Images taken at the scene of the event in Kansas City, Missouri, showed people fleeing in horror and others ducking and seeking cover as shots rang out.
Police said three people, including at least two who were armed, were taken into custody after the incident and firearms have been recovered.
Kansas City police chief, Stacey Graves, confirmed that one person had been killed and 22 were injured – including 11 children, though she did not know the extent of those injuries. Other reports said at least three of those hurt were in a critical condition.
None of the staff or players of the Chiefs, who won their second successive Super Bowl victory on Sunday evening were among the injured, even though they were the main attraction at Wednesday’s parade.
“I am angry at what happened today,” the police chief told a press conference.
“The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment.”
Ms Graves said the shooting – which took place despite the presence of up to 800 police officers – happened on the west side of Union Station. When officers got there, they took two people into custody and immediately started helping people who were hurt.
She said she had heard reports that members of the public had tried to apprehend the suspects but could not confirm it. She said she did not believe any of those hurt were children.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick
Mahomes, wrote on social media he was “praying for Kansas City” in a post followed by praying hands emojis.
Another member of the team, linebacker Drue Tranquill, also wrote on Twitter: “Pray that doctors and first responders would have steady hands and that all would experience full healing.” The shooting happened towards the conclusion of the victory rally that was attended by the governors of Kansas and Missouri. Capt Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department, said: “At the conclusion of the rally there were shots fired west of Union Station near the garage and several people were struck.”
Kansas City Mayor, Quinton Lucas, said he was as “heartbroken as anybody” as well as “incredibly upset [and] disappointed”. He said he would not have wished to have joined that club of cities that have been the site of a mass shooting.
“I don’t want us to have to in our country — for every big event — think about a concern of being shot,” said Mr Lucas, adding he had attended the celebration with his wife and mother.
Video footage showed a chaotic scene outside the train station as police officers stormed into the building while people who had been attending the celebration scattered for cover.
A livestream of the celebrations showed hundreds of fans in red fleeing from the parade after gunshots rang out. Armed police could be seen leaping over metal barriers and running towards the station entrance.
John O’connor, a fan at the event, told the Kansas City Star: “There were a tonne of gun shots going off and a lot of people scattered in confusion.”
He added: “It sounded like they [police] were securing Union Station because there was maybe some return fire from someone else.”
In a statement, the White House said: “The President has been briefed on the shooting in Kansas City and will continue to receive updates. White House officials have been in touch with state and local leaders, and federal law enforcement is on the scene supporting local law enforcement.”
Sunday’s Super Bowl was the most watched live event, attracting an estimated 123.7 million viewers around the world. Some of that was the fact that star Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of Chief ’s player Travis Kelce had watched the game from the stands. She was not present at the victory parade on Wednesday, having returned to her tour in Australia.