BULLETS FLEW OVER ‘DISPUTE’
The shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory parade that killed one and injured nearly two dozen was the result of a personal dispute that exploded into violence — and cops have detained three people who may be at fault, authorities said Thursday.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves emphasized that the Wednesday afternoon attack on the west side of the Missouri city’s Union Station had nothing to do with homegrown terrorism or violent extremism.
Instead, the shooting “appeared to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire,” Graves told reporters at a Thursday press conference.
Two of the three suspects are juveniles, she said. The department has 24 hours to either charge them or release them, Graves said.
“We have subjects that are detained,” Graves said. “We are working to determine the involvement of others, and it should be noted we have recovered several firearms . . . . This incident is still a very active investigation.”
Their bullets wounded 22 people — including nine kids — and killed 43-year-old mother of two Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a dedicated Chiefs fan who reportedly died from a shot to the abdomen.
“She was the most wonderful, beautiful person,” Lisa Lopez, a longtime friend (of no relation) who works at The Kansas City Star told the newspaper.
Ross Grundyson, chief of the city’s fire department, said eight of the wounded were in critical condition when first responders reached them.
Another seven were in serious condition, and six others had minor injuries, he added. All the critical patients were brought to hospitals less than 10 minutes after they were found.
“I am very grateful and proud of the service of these crews that worked this terrible incident,” Grundyson said.
Authorities had no updates on the conditions of the wounded on Thursday.
The mass shooting ruined what was an otherwise joyous celebration commemorating the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the parade — until the gunfire sent panicked crowds scurrying for cover.
“I’m angry at what happened today,” Graves told reporters Wednesday. “The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment.
“Because of bad actors, which were very few, this tragedy occurred even in the presence of uniformed law-enforcement officers,” she said, adding that there were about 800 cops deployed in the area.
Two Chiefs fans — identified as Trey Filter and Paul Contreras — tackled and retstrained one person who may have been a gunman before cops took them into custody, in an act of heroism capture on video and posted online.
On Thursday, Graves commended the civilians who helped law enforcement during the chaotic situation.
“They helped one another and even physically stopped a person who was believed to be involved,” Graves said. “Your selfless act did not go unnoticed.”
Police are still probing how the perpetrators knew each other, and if Wednesday’s shooting was related to earlier crimes in the area, the chief added.
“We want to make sure that anyone who was responsible for yesterday is brought to justice,” Graves said.
Clips of the chaos showed revelers running for their lives — and several injured people being carried out on stretchers.