Updated: 11:54 a.m.
(Reuters) – Kansas City, Missouri police on Thursday said a personal dispute, not extremism, was behind the deadly mass shooting that erupted a day earlier, following a rally to celebrate the city’s Super Bowl win.
The number of gunshot victims rose to 23, and their ages ranged from 8 to 47, police said in a briefing the day after the shooting. The death toll remained at one victim, identified as a beloved local radio personality.
Two juveniles and an adult were being held as suspects in the shooting, Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a press conference.
The violence erupted as “a dispute between several people” and that there was no connection to terrorism or extremism.
“We have all intentions of presenting charges,” Graves said of the three suspects in custody. Their identities were not disclosed.
In addition to the woman who was killed, at least 22 others suffered gunshot wounds on Wednesday outside the city’s landmark Union Station, authorities said. At least nine children were among those hit by bullets.
Children’s Mercy Hospital said it had treated nine kids who had been shot, and on Thursday said “all of the victims we saw are expected to recover.” The hospital also treated two other kids injured but not shot at the rally, along with an adult.
Thousands of fans had gathered there with members of the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate the team’s NFL championship triumph over the San Francisco 49ers.
The bloodshed came at the end of the rally following a parade, and it turned the festive occasion into a scene of panic. Throngs of attendees scrambled for cover at the sound of rapid-fire gunshots.
The Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who will decide on filing criminal charges, wrote on social media on Thursday that “I will use every tool at my disposal under Missouri law that at allows me to address this tragedy.”
Baker’s office said by phone that charges could come as early as Thursday afternoon, but provided no more details.
The shooting marks the latest, high-profile outburst of gun violence, which has been erupting with increasing frequency in schools, supermarkets, nightclubs and other public settings.
“This is an all-too-real American problem,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in an interview with KMBC TV on Thursday. “But so long as we have fools who will commit these types of acts, as long as we have their access to firearms at this level of capacity … we may see incidents like this one.”
Fifteen victims suffered life-threatening wounds, Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson said at a late-afternoon news conference.
“Fortunately, there has been no reported change in status of our victims,” Lucas said on Thursday.
None of the football team, their coaches or other staff attending the rally was wounded, the Chiefs said.
CIRCUMSTANCES REMAIN MURKY
Graves appealed to anyone who had information about the shooting or video that might help shed light on what transpired to share it with police.
Graves said she was aware of video purporting to show fans subduing a suspect, and that investigators were reviewing the footage to determine if the individual was one of the people taken into police custody.
Parade attendee Paul Contreras, told Omaha, Nebraska television station KETV he was one of the fans who helped tackle the man, and saw him drop a gun when he was knocked down.
“The whole time he’s fighting to get up and run away,” Contreras said, adding police arrived within moments. “We’re fighting each other, you know. We’re fighting to keep him down and he’s fighting to get up.”
The barrage of gunshots happened near a garage west of the station, whose front entrance was the backdrop to the stage for the victory rally, according to police.
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.
“I am heartbroken over the tragedy that took place today,” Kelce posted on X late on Wednesday night. “My heart is with all who came out to celebrate with us and have been affected. KC, you mean the world to me.”
The governors of Missouri and Kansas were among the dignitaries present at the event. They were unhurt.
The shooting came three days after the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in overtime to win the Super Bowl, 25-22, marking their fourth National Football League championship.
Wednesday’s violence took place on the sixth anniversary of one of the most notorious mass shootings in recent U.S. 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.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado, Rich McKay in Atlanta, and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Additional reporting by Steve Gorman, Daniel Trotta, Dan Whitcomb, and Kanishka Singh; Editing by David Gregorio)
(Reuters) -Three people were in custody in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, facing questions about what led to a deadly mass shooting near the city’s Super Bowl victory rally and who was behind it.
At least one person was killed and 21 others wounded by gunfire on Wednesday outside the city’s landmark Union Station, where thousands of fans had gathered with the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate the team’s NFL championship triumph over the San Francisco 49ers, authorities said.
The bloodshed, which came at the end of the rally following a parade, turned the festive occasion into a scene of panic as throngs of attendees scrambled for cover at the sound of rapid-fire gunshots.
Local radio station KKFI identified the slain victim as Lisa Lopez, one of its disc jockeys and host of the show “Taste of Tejano.” Fifteen other victims suffered life-threatening wounds, Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson said at a late-afternoon news conference.
Eleven of those hurt by gunfire or the ensuing pandemonium were children as young as 6, officials said.
None of the football team, their coaches or other staff attending the rally was injured, the Chiefs said.
Police Chief Stacey Graves told a Wednesday evening news conference three people were detained “and under investigation” in connection with the shooting, but she said investigators had yet to determine a motive.
CIRCUMSTANCES REMAIN MURKY
She said police were still unsure whether the Super Bowl victory celebration was targeted for attack, or whether the violence was incidental to the event and spilled over into it.
Authorities appealed to anyone who had information about the shooting or video that might help shed light on what transpired to share it with police.
Graves said she was aware of video purporting to show fans subduing a suspect, and that investigators were reviewing the footage to determine if the individual was one of the people taken into police custody.
Parade attendee Paul Contreras, told local television station KETV he was one of the fans who helped tackle the man, and saw him drop a gun when he was knocked down.
“The whole time he’s fighting to get up and run away,” Paul said, adding police arrived within moments. “We’re fighting each other, you know. We’re fighting to keep him down and he’s fighting to get up.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas lamented that city authorities ultimately were unable to prevent such violence despite the presence of more than 800 law enforcement officers, including federal agents, on security detail for the event.
“Parades, rallies, schools, movies – it seems like almost nothing is safe,” Quinton, a Democrat, told reporters, recounting how he was among those who ran for cover at the sound of gunfire.
The barrage of gunshots happened near a garage west of the station, whose front entrance was the backdrop to the stage for the victory rally, according to police and local media.
Union Station, a 109-year-old Beaux Arts building that once served as a major U.S. rail hub for passenger and freight traffic, is home to a museum and visiting attractions today, and is a terminal for Amtrak passenger service.
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.
“I am heartbroken over the tragedy that took place today,” Kelce posted on X late on Wednesday night. “My heart is with all who came out to celebrate with us and have been affected. KC, you mean the world to me.”
The governors of Missouri and Kansas were among the dignitaries present at the event but they, too, were unhurt.
The shooting came three days after the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in overtime to win the Super Bowl, 25-22, marking their fourth National Football League championship.
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 notorious mass shootings in recent U.S. 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.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks, Dan Whitcomb, Kanishka Singh and Rich McKay; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry)
Comments