2 teens face charges in shooting
Kansas City, Mo. — Charges have been filed against two juveniles in the mass shooting that killed one woman and wounded 22 others Wednesday at the Kansas City Chiefs victory rally at Union Station.
The two teens are being held at the Juvenile Detention Center on gun-related and resisting arrest offenses, the family court division of Jackson County Circuit Court said in a written statement Friday.
It said additional charges were expected as the investigation continued.
The Office of the Juvenile Officer acts as a prosecutor for criminal cases brought against minors. Proceedings are held in family court.
Police documents supporting criminal charges against juveniles, such as probable cause statements, are not publicly available in family court cases.
Among other information, the names of the defendants are not made public.
Depending on the seriousness of criminal charges filed in family court, juvenile defendants may face a mandatory certification hearing to determine whether they are tried as adults. Such offenses requiring a mandatory certification include first-degree assault and murder.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said her office has worked with juvenile court officers on the case.
“Though we do not oversee or supervise the juvenile officers, we work closely with them,” Baker said in a statement. “We expect to be at future hearings regarding these individuals who were charged today in Family Court. We will continue to work closely with all authorities as the investigation continues.”
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said she was grateful charges had been filed.
“Our investigators have poured themselves into this investigation, and it continues,” she said in a statement posted on social media. “We will not relent until everyone who may have played a part in these crimes is apprehended so that they may be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas thanked police, juvenile court officers and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office for the “first set of charges.”
“I know more investigation and potentially further charges are ahead as we pursue justice for all impacted,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The shooting unfolded around 2 p.m. Wednesday as thousands of Chiefs fans were celebrating the team’s Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers. Shots on the west side of Union Station sent throngs of people running for cover.
As officials gathered more information throughout Thursday, the number of victims ticked up to 23, including a woman who died. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a Johnson County mother of two, died at the scene. Graves said Thursday that half the victims were under 16.
Three teens were detained, police said Thursday morning. One person was later released.
Graves said the shooting started over a dispute. Officials did not share further details about what led to the altercation. Graves said several firearms had been recovered.
A massive crime scene at Union Station remained cordoned off Thursday as members of the community coped with what the Chiefs called a “senseless act of violence.” A vigil for Lopez-Galvan and other victims was held later that evening.