A blast of gunfire killed at least one person and wounded 21 others in Kansas City, Missouri, where the National Football League (NFL) champion team was celebrating their Super Bowl victory.
Speaking at a press conference, Police Chief Stacey Graves said three people were detained “and under investigation for today’s incident” outside the city’s Union Station. Graves said investigators had no known motive for the gun violence. At a late-afternoon news conference, Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson said 15 of those wounded suffered life-threatening injuries.
Graves said she was aware of reports that some fans may have participated in the pursuit and capture of at least one of the suspects. Some 800 law enforcement officers were at the rally and parade that preceded it, including agents of the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Hours after the bloodshed, authorities were still sorting out the precise number and details of casualties.
Heroic Kansas City fans tackling and bring down one of the shooting suspects #ChiefsParade pic.twitter.com/AUr9U6hofA— Rare GOAT (@RareGoatee) February 14, 2024
Lisa Augustine, spokesperson for Children’s Mercy Kansas City, said the hospital was treating 12 patients from the rally, including 11 children, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds. The barrage of gunshots, fired outside near a garage near the station, came at the end of the victory rally following a parade, according to police. A video posted on social media showed pandemonium outside the station with dozens of uniformed police officers, weapons drawn, running into the building as scores of bystanders fled in the opposite direction. Rapid-fire gunfire was audible in footage posted online by ABC News.
‘Deeply Saddened’
The Super Bowl celebration featured Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on stage with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other teammates, but Kelce’s pop superstar girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was back on tour in Australia at the time. Mahomes said on X: “Praying for Kansas City,” followed by several praying-hands emojis. A statement from the NFL said: “We are deeply saddened by the senseless shooting that occurred in Kansas City today following the Chiefs’ celebration. Our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected.”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson and his wife were in attendance when shots were fired near the train station, but were safe and secure following the incident, he said in a message posted to X, thanking law enforcement for its response.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly was also present at the rally when the shots were fired.
Governor & First Lady Parson were in attendance when shots were fired near Union Station in KC. They are safe and secure. State law enforcement personnel are assisting local authorities in response efforts. As we wait to learn more, our hearts go out to the victims.— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) February 14, 2024
The Chiefs on Sunday defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to win the Super Bowl, 25-22. On June 17, 1933, Union Station was the site of an outdoor shootout and murder of four law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive in a notorious incident known as the Kansas City Massacre.
Wednesday’s violence took place on the sixth anniversary of one of the most famous mass shootings in recent US history, when 17 people were killed and 17 more were injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The shooter in that incident, a former student who was 19 at the time, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
(With agency inputs)
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