One dead, 21 wounded amid shots fired into crowd after Kansas City Chiefs rally: Live updates
Bullets ripped through crowds of spectators following a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade attended by tens of thousands Wednesday, killing one and injuring at least 21 others in the nation's latest shooting assault at a major sports or concert venue.
Kansas City, Missouri, police confirmed shots were fired west of Union Station at around 2 p.m. local time. Interim Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said at a news conference that 22 people suffered gunshot wounds, including one fatality, eight with immediately life-threatening injuries, seven with life-threatening injuries, and six with minor injuries.
Several people near the parade route were carried away on stretchers.
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.
Police Chief Stacey Graves said three people have been detained, but detectives are investigating whether one person was among a group of bystanders who assisted police and possibly tackled an assailant.
“I’m angry at what happened today. The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment,” Graves said at a news conference.
Some of the Chiefs' players spoke at the rally but were not in the line of fire when shots rang out. A team official said players and coaches were not injured and were on buses leaving the area.
More than 800 law enforcement officers were providing security for the parade route, Graves said. Several hundred thousand people had been expected to attend the parade celebrating the Chiefs' championship victory Sunday.
President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland were briefed on the shooting. Agents for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the parade and assisting local police, the Justice Department said in a statement.
"We're getting more information ... about the shooting. I don't have it all. I'll have it later tonight," Biden told reporters Wednesday evening.
Shootings at victory rallies are not unheard of in recent years. After the Denver Nuggets’ championship parade last year, a shooting took place in downtown Denver that injured two people, though police said they didn’t believe the incident was associated with the actual celebration. Also last year, an argument resulted in shots being fired at a parking lot near the Texas Rangers’ World Series championship parade. Nobody was injured.
A shooting at a concert in Dallas left one dead and 16 injured in 2022. In October 2017, a gunman opened fire on the crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada from his 32nd-floor suites in the Mandalay Bay hotel. He fired more than 1,000 rounds, killing 60 people and wounding at least 413 in what remains the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in American history.
State officials 'out of harm's way' after attending parade
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he was at the parade with first lady Teresa Parson when shots were fired, but they had safely evacuated.
“State law enforcement personnel are assisting local authorities in response efforts,” Gov. Parson said in a social media post. “As we wait to learn more, our hearts go out to the victims.”
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly was also at the rally but posted an update that she was safe.
“At the end of the Chiefs rally, shots were fired near Union Station. I have been evacuated and am out of harm's way. I encourage everyone to follow instructions and updates from @kcpolice. Please stay safe,” Kelly said on X, formerly Twitter.
Witnesses recount chaos when gunfire broke out
Kevin Sanders, 53, of Lenexa, Kansas, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers and then people running. After that initial flurry, calm returned, and he didn’t think much of it. But he said 10 minutes later, ambulances started showing up.
“It sucks that someone had to ruin the celebration, but we are in a big city,” Sanders said.
Ofilio Martinez, 48, said he heard shots fired a couple blocks away about 10 or 15 minutes before the gunfire near the Union Station rally.
“This is making me nervous, scared,” he said.
Gunfire broke out less than half an hour after Chiefs fans concluded their parade in celebration of the Super Bowl victory. The rally was scheduled to end at Union Station with speeches by players and coaches.
Photos:Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade went from celebration to deadly shooting
Kansas City was in high spirits before parade
Fans in Kansas City got to experience yet another parade celebrating the Super Bowl champions. This year, Tara Bennett said it was more special as she and her friends cheered the team on throughout the season and defended their title as Super Bowl Champions.
"It was exciting and so much fun seeing the players coming down and having fun with people with their family celebrating the city," Bennett, a Kansas City resident, said. "It was beautiful today and we kept taking layers off because it was warm with the sun beating down."
That was ripped away when she saw news about a possible shooting spread as she and her friend walked toward their car. Their fears were confirmed when they turn on the radio.
Bennett, an active volunteer with Moms Demand Action, said the state has been weakening gun laws for nearly a decade like allowing people to purchase a gun and conceal carry rifles without a permit, according to both Everytown for Gun Safety and the National Rifle Association.
"This shouldn't have happened and shouldn't have marred and scarred everyone and given a black eye to the city," Bennett said.
Gun advocates demand for change in wake of shootings
Everytown, Mom Demand Action and Students Demand Action said in a Wednesday news release the Super Bowl victory parade should've been "pure joy" but became a tragedy for a community. MDA Executive Director Angela Ferrell-Zabala said in the release the shooting is a marker of politicians rolling back gun laws.
John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said, “This shooting is yet another reminder that no parade, no church, no school — really, nowhere at all — is safe from America’s gun violence crisis.
The shooting happened on the sixth anniversary of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. There, 17 people were killed by a gunman who is serving multiple life sentences without parole.
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Contributing: Associated Press