Three arrested, firearms recovered in Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A mass shooting occurred in a crowd at a Kansas City Chiefs stadium. super bowl celebration Authorities said Thursday that the crash appears to have been caused by a fight between several people.

Police Chief Stacey Graves said the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged in age from 8 to 47, and half were under 16. The mother of two children also died.

Three people, including two juveniles, were taken into custody but have not yet been charged, Graves said. Police are appealing to witnesses, anyone with mobile phone footage and victims of violence to call a dedicated hotline.

“We are working to determine the involvement of others. And it is also worth noting that we have recovered several firearms. This incident remains a very active investigation. Graves said at a press conference.

shooting The riot outside Union Station left more than 800 people inside and in the area, including on top of nearby structures, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and ran for safety as gunshots rang out. The incident occurred despite the presence of police officers. But he has no intention of canceling the upcoming St. Patrick's Day parade.

“We have parades all the time. I don't think it will ever end. Certainly, we were aware of the public safety challenges and the issues associated with it,” Lucas said.

Crowds had lined the parade route even before the shooting, with fans climbing trees, street poles and even standing on rooftops for a better view. The players rode through the crowd on a double-decker bus as a DJ and drummer announced their arrival.

The police chief said 1 million people likely participated in the parade in a city of about 470,000 people and a metropolitan area of ​​about 2 million people, but the violence was carried out by just a handful of people. He emphasized that it was caused.

“The law enforcement response was exemplary. Those in attendance also responded,” Graves added. “They helped each other and even physically stopped the person they believed to be involved in the incident.”

Meanwhile, police are still appealing for witnesses to come forward. Many described a sense of confusion that rippled throughout the crowd.

The rally had just ended and the music was still blaring when the shots went off. Many people thought it was the sound of fireworks at first. But then confusion ensued. Some members of the crowd crashed to the ground, while others jumped over fences and sprinted from the scene, some carrying children in their arms.

The crowd was so large that things quickly returned to normal, but some fans had no idea what had happened. But then an ambulance arrived and police rushed in with guns drawn. Some people with minor injuries were transported by golf cart.

The stunned crowd, some in tears, slowly gathered their belongings and tried to figure out how to get home. Strangers consoled each other as police taped up crime scene tape.

Hank Hunter, a high school sophomore in Kansas, said he was watching the rally with a friend when he heard gunshots in the distance. At first he didn't know what it was, but then people started slamming into the ground “like a chain reaction.”

Hunter said they ran to jump over the barricade and his friend hit his head on the concrete. As the players and coaches prepared to depart by bus, security escorted the friend to Union Station, which was off-limits to the public. So coach Andy Reid comforted his friend and “just tried to comfort him and calm him down.”

Social media users posted shocking videos of police rushing through the crowded scene on Wednesday. One video showed someone performing chest compressions on the victim while another person appeared to be writhing in pain on the ground nearby. People screamed in the background.

Another video showed two people chasing one, tackling him and holding him down until two police officers arrived. Trey Filter, of Wichita, Kansas, said in an interview Thursday on ABC's “Good Morning America” ​​that he took action after seeing someone being chased.

“I couldn't see much. I heard 'Get him!' I saw a flash next to me. And I remember jumping up and thinking, 'I hope this is the idiot they're talking about,'” he said. “They started shouting, 'There's a gun!'” There's a gun! ”

Filter said he and another man held the person down until officers arrived. “I remember the cops pulling me off my feet and I was just looking for his wife and kids at the time,” he said.

It was not immediately clear whether the person he held down was involved in the shooting, but Filter's wife, Casey, noticed a gun nearby and picked it up.

of woman killed by gunfire Radio station KKFI-FM identified her as Lisa Lopez Galván, host of “Taste of Tejano.”

López Galván, whose DJ name was Lisa G, was an outgoing and devoted mother from a prominent Latino family in the area, said her childhood friend Rosa, who worked with her at a staffing agency. Izrietta and Martha Ramirez said.

“She's the type of person who would jump in front of a bullet for anyone, and that would be Lisa,” Izrietta said.

Kansas City has struggled with gun violence for years, but in 2020 in nine cities It has been targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice in an effort to crack down on violent crimes. In 2023, there were 182 homicides in the city, most involving firearms, a new high.

Lucas is working with mayors across the country to push for new laws to reduce gun violence, including universal background checks.

“We did everything we could to make this event as safe as possible,” Lucas, a Democrat, said in an interview. KMBC TV Thursday. “But as long as there are people stupid enough to do this kind of thing, and as long as they have access to firearms with this level of capability, incidents like this will continue to happen.”

College of Health spokeswoman Leslie Cart said two of the eight shooting victims taken to the hospital remain in critical condition. One person is in stable condition. The remaining five people were discharged from the hospital. The hospital also treated four rally participants who sustained non-gunshot wounds. Three of those patients have been discharged from the hospital, Kurt said.

Stephanie Meyer, chief nursing officer at Children's Mercy Kansas City, is treating 12 patients at the rally, including 11 children between the ages of 6 and 15. Nine of them suffered gunshot wounds. All are expected to recover.

When asked about the children's condition, Meyer said: Horror was the only word I would use to describe what we saw and how they came to us. ”

St. Luke's Hospital spokeswoman Emily Hohenberg said one gunshot victim remained in critical condition at the hospital. Four people injured while fleeing the aftermath of the shooting were treated and released.

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Associated Press writers Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa; Jim Salter of St. Louis; Josh Funk of Omaha, Nebraska; Summer Valentine's Day in Columbia, Missouri. John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report.