By Lauren Merola, Alec Lewis, Nate Taylor and Dianna Russini
One person was killed and at least 22 others were shot Wednesday near the end of the Super Bowl parade for the Kansas City Chiefs, police said.
Police have detained three people as the investigation continues, they said.
Authorities did not have an exact number of people who were injured. Of the 22 other people who were shot, Kansas City (Mo.) fire department chief Ross Grundyson said eight had immediately life-threatening injuries, seven had life-threatening injuries and six had minor injuries.
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The shooting victims were transported to three local hospitals: Children’s Mercy, University Health and Saint Luke’s. Twelve people were being treated at University Health on Wednesday afternoon, including eight for gunshot wounds, Keith King, a spokesman for the hospital, told The New York Times. Children’s Mercy was treating 12 patients, including 11 children, Lisa Augustine, a hospital spokeswoman, told the Times. Later Wednesday, Stephanie Meyer, senior vice president and chief nursing officer of Children’s Mercy, said at a news conference that none of the children — who were between 6 and 15 years old — admitted to their facility had suffered critical injuries and all are expected to recover.
Kansas City radio station KKFI said Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a disc jockey at the station and mother of two, died in the shooting.
“Today was tragic for everyone who was part of it,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
Lucas said Chiefs players, coaches and staff were “all accounted for and safe.”
“We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and all of Kansas City. …” the Chiefs said in a statement. “We thank the local law enforcement officers and first responders who were on-scene to assist.”
Kansas City players and coaches described the situation as “intense and sad.” One coach said: “This is what they say when you think it will never happen to you. I never thought I’d be in one of these. Everyone stuck together and followed the emergency commands to find safety. As we were getting on the bus we were right next to a woman who was shot. I’m disgusted.”
The shooting occurred around 2 p.m. CT west of Union Station, a central landmark in downtown Kansas City. The refurbished train station, which is a tourist attraction featuring museums and exhibits, was at the end of the parade route. Hundreds of fans clad in red awaited the parade’s conclusion in the open plaza area outside of Union Station, where typically busy streets had been blocked off. The parade attendees dispersed in a scene of panic and fear as gunshots echoed around them.
Once the shooting began, police told fans in attendance to evacuate the area, with some heading straight for the buses, which transported the fans away from downtown. Members of the Chiefs organization, which had been located on a stage out in front of Union Station, exited swiftly and were evacuated away from downtown and back to Arrowhead Stadium, which is about 10 miles from downtown. Simultaneously, while the commotion continued outside of Union Station, officials raced into the area, clearing the premises and eventually releasing everyone who had been positioned inside Union Station, Kansas City police said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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“When the shooting started, I like many others ran, and ran for safety. I saw a number of agencies, like the Kansas City Police Department, who were running towards danger,” Lucas said. “We thank them for that.”
There were hundreds of officers along and around the parade route and at Union Station, according to the KCPD website, and numerous other agencies were also present at the celebration.
Kansas City Police Department chief Stacey Graves said Wednesday evening that authorities did not yet know a motive for the shooting. She said the shooting took place outside and that police recovered at least one firearm.
Additionally, police have detectives at all of the local hospitals, trying to connect victims to their loved ones, Graves said.
The victory parade for Kansas City began shortly after 11 a.m. CT. Fans lined the streets along the roughly two-mile route, which began at the intersection of Sixth Street and Grand Boulevard and moved south, past Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center and Power & Light District on the route to Union Station.
The atmosphere throughout the parade was a joyous one. Parents held their children up to see players and coaches. Players such as receiver Mecole Hardman, linebacker Drue Tranquill and defensive tackle Chris Jones high-fived, took a selfie with or gave their autograph to many fans along Grand and 20th Street.
Some players even handed bottles of beer to other adults while children extended their arms to collect confetti. Quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was among the players who walked much of the parade route, instead of riding on a double-decker bus, to be closer to cheering fans. Linebacker Willie Gay ran through the streets shirtless. Tight end Travis Kelce spotted a cardboard cutout featuring his brother Jason’s bare chest in the crowd, grabbed it and posed with it as he chugged a beer.
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A rally at Union Station followed. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, coach Andy Reid, Mahomes and Kelce, among others, addressed fans.
The shooting occurred less than a half hour after the rally’s conclusion.
Multiple Chiefs players took to social media Wednesday night to express their concerns for the victims and the Kansas City community.
Mahomes posted on X after the shooting, saying he is “Praying for Kansas City.”
Praying for Kansas City… 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) February 14, 2024
“Please join me in prayer for all the victims in this heinous act,” Tranquill said on social media. “Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing.”
“This is SAD man! Kids are being shot and somebody didn’t come home tonight,” safety Justin Reid said on social media. “We cannot allow this to be normal. We cannot (allow) ourselves to become numb and chalk it up to “just another shooting in America” and reduce people in statistics and then move on tmrw. This is a SERIOUS PROBLEM!! I pray our leaders enact real solutions so our kids’ kids won’t know this violence.”
In a statement, the NFL said it was “deeply saddened by the senseless shooting.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected,” the NFL said. “We are grateful for the quick and thorough response of law enforcement and emergency personnel.”
(Photo: Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)